Voter Empowerment
National Popular Vote: the majority should decide
For most of us, the night of Nov. 8, 2016 will be seared into our memory forever. Donald Trump had won the presidency.
It became clearer in the following days that Hillary Clinton had received three million votes more than Donald Trump. But he had won more votes in the Electoral College and thus he would become our president.
2019 Primary Election by the numbers
This is good. This is real good.
Kentucky needs a Democracy. And because of that, KFTC is setting increasingly bold goals in building our electoral strength to get more people registered, informed about candidate stances, voting, to build support around issues we care about, support candidates who's stances align with ours, and to train new candidates.
KFTC members leaned into this primary election cycle more heavily than any other, calling voters and generally getting the word out. It made a big impact.
Here are a few numbers of what you and the rest of the KFTC members achieved this election through KFTC and the New Power PAC:
- Calls to voters made - 12,151
- Voter conversation by phone - 2,015
- Voicemail messages left - 3,805
- Voters texted - 16,413
- Voters registered - 313
- Supporters IDed - 1,163 (through petition signatures, etc)
- KentuckyElection.org Visits – 46,900 (about 2.5 times as many as last primary!)
- Gubernatorial candidates responding to our issue stance survey – 7 (of 8)
- Voter Guides distributed - 17,850 (including 1,000 in Spanish)
- Other lit pieces printed- 20,447
- Total ad views online – 291,675
Election Day is tomorrow! www.KentuckyElection.org
Tomorrow – Tuesday, May 21 – is Election Day, and we want to make sure KFTC members and our friends are out voting and making a difference together!
To learn about who's on your ballot, where they stand on issues, find your voting location, and much more, visit KentuckyElection.org
Also, please take a moment to remind your friends to vote, share KentuckyElection.org on social media, or even volunteer by contacting your local KFTC organizer.
Polls are open 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. Take a moment to plan out when you’re voting tomorrow!
Clarifying who can vote and who can't in Kentucky
To register and vote in Kentucky, one needs to be at least 18 years old by Election Day (Tuesday, November 6), you have to live in Kentucky (temporary student housing works), and you have to be a U.S. citizen.
Those are the basics, but things get a little trickier in Kentucky because our criminal justice system plays an unusual role in taking away people's right to vote.
People with felonies in their past – Can't (generally) Vote.
Kentucky disenfranchises people with felonies in their past and is harsher than almost any state in the US in that regard. People can request their rights be restored after they've served their time through this form, but few people know about the process and Governor Bevin denies many requests. People who have had their record expunged of felonies can also vote. KFTC's long-term goal is to change Kentucky's Constitution so that people get the right to vote back when they've served their debt to society including prison time, probation, and parole, but for now, this remains a barrier for over 312,000 Kentuckians.
People with misdemeanors in their past – Can Vote!
If someone has a misdemeanor in ther past, that doesn't stop them from voting in Kentucky. Many people in this situation may have been told that they can't register and vote, but they absolutely can
People currently in jail serving for a misdemeanor – Can't Vote
This disenfranchisement comes from section 145 of the Kentucky Constitution along with felony disenfranchisement.
People serving probation and parole for a misdemeanor – Can Vote!
Even though you're still serving your time, there's nothing stopping you from registering and voting in this case.
People in jails pre-trial who were charged with either a felony or a misdemeanor – Can Vote!
If you're in jail because you're awaiting trial or sentencing for any offense (and you've never been convicted of a felony), you do have the right to vote. That's a big deal, because in many Kentucky jails about 70% of the population is pre-trial.
How Absentee Voting works in Kentucky (May 2019 Primary)
On election day, Tuesday, May 21, 2019, polls in Kentucky will be open 6 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Unconditional Early Voting isn't allowed in Kentucky (as it is in many states), but in most cases, if you won't be in the Kentucky county where you're registered to vote on election day, you can vote absentee.
To vote absentee, there are several hoops to jump through, so it's good to start early:
1. You have to be registered to vote and you have to know what county you're registered in. You can check that at GoVoteKY.com
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