When states make it easier to vote, more people vote. Kentucky makes voting extra hard.

Amidst a surge of turnout during early voting this year in several other states, Kentucky is left out: Most Kentucky voters have to wait until Election Day and they will have only 12 hours (6 a.m. to 6 p.m.) to vote. The state requires an excuse for absentee balloting and does not have early voting.

Moreover, with a requirement that voters register 30 days before Election Day, people who become interested later in a campaign season and then want to register simply cannot participate in our democracy through voting.

No wonder Kentucky ranked No. 44 in the country for its election administration, based on a nonpartisan, objective measure called the Elections Performance Index.