Kentuckians wanting to vote on Election Day must register by Monday, Oct. 7 at 4 p.m. local time.

Here is how to register to vote in the commonwealth.

First, eligibility requirements must be met. National requirements include being a United States citizen and being at least 18 years old before the next general election.

For Kentucky specifically, anyone looking to vote must be a resident for at least 28 days, must not claim the right to vote outside Kentucky and can not be a convicted felon.

If eligible, Kentuckians can register online, by mail or in person.

To register online, visit Kentucky’s election website and enter the information required to be added to the system.

To register by mail the Voter Registration Application must be completed, printed and sent to the local County Clerk’s Office.

To register in person, visit a nearby County Clerk’s Office and fill out an application.

Once Kentuckians finish the registration process they are ready to get out to the polls in person on Nov. 5, request an absentee ballot or participate in Kentucky early voting.

To check voter registration status, visit the Kentucky Voter Information Center website.

For information regarding how to register in every state visit vote.gov.

News Reporter Bradlee Reed-Whalen can be reached at bradlee.reedwhalen539@topper.wku.edu.

The WKU Student Voting Advocacy Committee formed this semester with the initiative of lobbying County Clerk Lynette Yates and the Warren County Board of Elections to establish a more accessible polling location for students. It sent a formal request to the board with signed support of 33 student organizations on Tuesday, Sept. 10.

Caden Lucas, a sophomore studying political science, legal studies and international affairs representing the WKU Pre-Law Student Association and Omicron Delta Kappa Honors Society, said “We were all approached by [Assistant Vice President for Student Engagement and Executive Director of WKU Housing and Residential Life] Catherine LaRoche to basically form this committee to advocate for there to be a polling location added to Western’s campus.”

The committee’s letter stated that 2024 marks the first year since the 1980s that a polling location was not established near WKU’s campus and suggested the Raymond B. Preston Center as an ideal location for accessible voting.

This year, the closest polling stations, listed on the Kentucky State Board of Elections website, are First Baptist Church and Warren Central High School, both a 40-minute walk round trip from campus. 

“The Preston Center is our preferred location due to its central position on campus, ample parking, and overall facilities,” the committee stated in its request.

The committee cites a survey by the Herald stating that 91% of students would prefer an on-campus polling location. It also provided statistics from Democracy Counts 2020 stating an increase in voter turnout from 52% in 2016 to 66% in 2020.

An informal 2022 poll by the Herald showed 89% of respondents supported having a voting location on WKU’s campus.

The committee also included information on student involvement in events like presidential debate watch parties and voter tabling events. The letter ended with student testimonies detailing how going home to vote is not a feasible option and its desire for students to be part of the democratic process.

A letter from County Clerk Yates was sent to the committee on Sept. 16. rejecting the committee’s request based on the lack of public parking, the forced closure of the Preston Center and the low number of registered student voters. 

Members of the WKU Student Voting Advocacy Committee disagreed with Yates’ arguments and, upon the rejection, sent an appeal to the Kentucky State Board of Elections the same day.

In an interview with the Herald, Ian White, a junior agriculture major, addressed the board’s concern with parking. 

“We’ve been working with Parking and Transportation, and they have guaranteed that if this were to come into effect, that we would have public parking at Preston Center,” White said. 

Regarding the closure of the Preston Center, the committee wrote to the state board that, “The Preston Center seemed eager to assist with getting this location added and was willing to comply with the required regulations.”

Yates stated in the letter that only 514 students living in residence halls were registered to vote, to which Lucas said the committee refuted. 

“That is still 500 voters that you have a responsibility of ensuring that they have the access to vote, but then also a way larger majority of WKU students live off campus, and they were not accounted for in that number whatsoever,” said Lucas.

Lucas continued by saying that the majority of off-campus housing is still within close proximity to WKU and that a polling location at the Preston Center would be the best option for students living in off-campus housing. 

Donte Reed, a senior biology major representing the Student Government Association, also said Yates’ count doesn’t include the number of students who haven’t yet registered to vote.

The committee members told the Herald that the Kentucky State Board of Elections was very supportive of their cause but did not have the authority to overturn the decision of the local board of election fully. Instead, the state board was able to submit the committee’s request to a state board staff committee.

The state board staff committee’s job was to review the Warren County voting plan. If the state board staff committee found a deficiency could be found within the current voting plan then they “disprove” the current voting plan.

Upon a disproval, everything would be sent back to County Clerk Yates. Yates could then consider the WKU Student Voting Committee’s proposal.

On Wednesday, Sept. 25, the WKU Student Voting Committee received a letter from the State Board of Elections’ director Karen Sellers, stating that the current Warren County voting plan did not meet the requirements for disproval. 

“There is nothing that suggests any circumstance from July 16th to September 17th created a situation in which the Warren County plan became one in which not enough voting locations were offered to the residents of Warren County or that the previously approved plan has now become unacceptable in quality,” Sellers’ letter stated, 

With no change to the voting plan deemed necessary, there will be no further reviews of the WKU Student Voting Committee’s request for a polling location on campus.

News Reporter Anthony Clauson can be reached at anthony.clauson994@topper.wku.edu. 

Campus clubs and organizations on the Hill have been working to prepare students for the upcoming November gubernatorial election in various ways.

A number of organizations have hosted voter registration drives across campus. Students and faculty have tabled around campus to spread voting information while giving out election-based memorabilia. These items have included pamphlets with voting registration information, election day and candidate information and also pro-conservative,
pro-liberal and neutral pin buttons.

Some individual students within the campus organizations have specifically contributed to spreading voting and election information to their peers.

Johnson initially started her freshman year as a photojournalism major. When she switched to political science, she felt she needed to get introduced to other politically involved students on campus. She reached out to the Young Democrat’s past president and then took on the position herself.

“It was something that was a spur of the moment kind of thing,” John- son said. “But I just knew that since I’ve already been working with the organization, it would be a greater chance for me to explore my leadership opportunities and to work with other students and get more people introduced.”

The Young Democrats plan to work closely with Gov. Andy Beshear’s reelection campaign throughout the election season and to host their own voter registration drives to make sure students are able to vote.

Outside of the organization, Johnson herself has individually been working with the governor’s campaign. She has knocked on doors and worked the campaign phone bank in Bowling Green spread information on the election and campaign.

Throughout her involvement, she has been trying to recruit more students to join her in campaigning, especially those who are also in Young Democrats.

Johnson said that even though it can be difficult for students to go outside of campus and vote, those votes are essential to the election’s outcome.

“There are a lot of students on this campus, and this county is really important [to the election]. Making sure students actually go out to vote is important,” Johnson said.

Gabriel Chambers, a sophomore meteorology major, vice president of the WKU chapter of Students for Life of America, treasurer of the WKU chapter of the American Conservation Coalition and member of the WKU chapter of College Republicans, said he got involved with these groups to meet other students and to try to create change both on campus and in the community.

Chambers is also the founder and president of the WKU chapter of the Young Americans for Liberty and a member of the WKU chapter of Turning Point USA, both non-partisan organizations.

“Politics is something that I’m very passionate about,” Chambers said.

College Republicans has plans to assist at fundraisers and events in support of Republican nominee Daniel Cameron’s campaign over the course of the election season. Turning Point USA plans to take part in a nationwide campaign called Vote and Live, which helps students register to vote and get involved.

Chambers said he individually has been helping campaign in the community for Cameron by door knocking, spreading information and trying to get community members involved in events.

He believes that it is extremely important for college students to go out and vote in the election, especially those whose permanent address is outside of Kentucky.

“People who are from out-of-state Kentucky, you go to college in Kentucky so the decisions of the election affect [you],” Chambers said.

Many students and their organizations plan to continue campaigning and hosting voter registration drives through the course of the election season to urge those on campus to cast their ballot when the time comes.

“Voting, I can’t stress enough how important it is […] deciding who to give power to is really important,” Chambers said.

Editor’s note: In reporting this story, the Herald learned that Gabriel Chambers was charged with assault, fourth degree dating violence on Aug. 27, 2022. Accord- ing to the WKU police incident report, Chambers and the victim agreed that Chambers “punched” the victim on the side of the head during a disagreement. The court record states on March 7, 2023 the charge was ordered for a pretrial diversion. The diversion completion is set for March 29, 2024, after which the case would be dis- missed. Chambers provided the Herald with a statement: “I will say that I have refused to go down to the court- room and get that case removed off my record because it was dismissed. So yeah, that’s something that I definitely need to do because well I- it’s irrelevant at this point. And yeah, this probably should have never come up. So, that’s just me not doing what the court told me I could do. Yeah. That’s about all I have to say about that. I honestly, like, forgot even about it, so.”

News Reporter Ali Costellow can be reached at ali.costellow453@topper.wku.edu.

Amendment 1 would remove specific legislative session end dates from the constitution and provide instead that odd-year sessions are limited to 30 legislative days and even-year sessions are limited to 60 legislative days. Amendment 1 would allow the Legislature to extend the session beyond the current cutoff if three-fifths of each chamber vote in favor.

It would also allow the Speaker of the House and the Senate President to call a special session for up to 12 additional days for emergencies or potentially other matters. 

This joint proclamation would only have to be declared by the speaker and the president, not lawmakers, and the session would not have to be specific to a topic, as currently required.

As of 2021, Kentucky was one of only 14 states that only the governor could call a special session. In the other 36 states, special sessions may be called by the governor or the state legislature, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.

Supporters feel that this would lead to the two branches to be more efficient.

“If we’re going to be here, then let’s be as effective as we can possibly be,” House Speaker David Osborne said in a video aired by Kentucky Educational Television in October. “Let’s be as efficient as we can possibly be. … We don’t want to fall into that trap of becoming a full-time legislature. We need to honor the intent of our service as a part-time legislature.”

Opponents worry that passing this amendment would make the branches too strong.

“No branch should be too strong,” Governor Andy Beshear said in the same KET video. “Yet the legislature wants to give itself more power so that it could call itself into session to change an executive branch decision over the most minute thing.”

Co-Editor-in-Chief Debra Murray can be reached at debra.murray940@topper.wku.edu. Follow her on Twitter @debramurrayy.

Constitutional Amendment 2 will ask if voters want to add this sentence to the constitution: “To protect human life, nothing in this constitution shall be construed to secure or protect a right to abortion or require the funding of abortion.”

The decision on this amendment is pivotal in deciding the future of abortion in Kentucky. 

When Roe v. Wade was overturned by the Supreme Court of the United States in June, a “trigger law” took effect in Kentucky that immediately banned abortion in the state.

A lawsuit was filed by abortion providers seeking to block two abortion bans, claiming that the Kentucky Constitution protects the right to privacy and bodily autonomy. 

The lawsuit is pending in the Kentucky Supreme Court and is set to be heard on Nov. 15, a week after voters will decide the fate of the amendment. 

If voters reject the amendment, abortion could still be decided as a state right. 

If voters approve the amendment, the state constitution can not be used to protect abortion rights. 

Campaigns have formed in favor and in opposition of the amendment. 

Protect Kentucky Access is a collection of Kentucky organizations that are against the amendment and want abortion to stay legal. 

The Protect Kentucky Access website states: “A constitutional amendment will be on the ballot November 8 that would outlaw abortion in all cases, with NO exceptions. Kentuckians should be in charge of private medical decisions, not politicians.”

In favor of the amendment is the Kentucky Yes for Life campaign, which aims to get the amendment passed to ensure the state constitution does not protect the right to abortion. 

Yes for Life’s site asks supporters to pledge their “yes” vote on Amendment 2.

Kelsey Truxal, assistant professor in the department of political science, believes that the overturning of Roe v. Wade will “restrict access significantly to college students” who are seeking abortions. 

Truxal said states have limited the language around abortion to the extent that both voluntary and medically necessary abortions are not allowed.

“I think this is especially important to college kids because they’re of childbearing age, so disregarding that somebody may have an unplanned pregnancy, they may have an unplanned pregnancy that they still want to keep, but if there is something wrong with the pregnancy, they may not be able to get the medical care they need,” Truxal said. 

Truxal believes the language of Constitutional Amendment 2 is confusing and believes that voters may have a hard time understanding what they are voting for. 

“With the language being this double negative, I think that is going to throw some people off,” Truxal said.

However, Truxal believes that there is a chance that the amendment could be rejected. 

“By ruling out all abortions, even the ones that could be medical, the legislature really overstepped, and I think that’s going to show on the ballot,” Truxal said. 

If this amendment were to pass it would make “any future attempts to reinstate the right to abortion much more complicated and difficult,” Susan Eagle, assistant professor in public health, said. 

While the amendment would not have an immediate impact on public health since abortion is already prohibited in the state, the ban on abortion has a significant impact on public health because abortion is healthcare, Eagle said. 

“What this amendment does is prioritize the life of a fetus at the expense of the privacy and self-determination of the person who is gestating that life, essentially negating the pregnant person’s constitutional rights,” Eagle said. 

The ban creates further disparities in health care because it impacts people who are unable to travel to a different states for abortions, whether it is due to income, work obligations, disability, or other socioeconomic factors, according to Eagle. 

“I’d encourage all college students to vote—civic engagement is an essential determinant of health,” Eagle said. “Your votes help create the environments in which we all live, work, and play, so be sure to make your voice heard.”

News reporter Madison Carter can be reached at madison.carter312@topper.wku.edu.

Lynette Yates, Warren County Clerk, shared that in the last election, voters responded positively to access to early voting and voting in locations other than their precincts. 

“We had such positive response in 2020,” Yates said. “[…] People just found that so convenient. And then of course allowing Saturday mornings, that those facilities had to be available as well.”

Last year, Kentucky House Bill 574 was passed, requiring counties to implement three days of in-person early voting. In May, during voting for the primary election, Yates said the turnout for early voting was incredibly low.

“We were very disappointed in our turnout for what we had for early voting, considering we’re offering these huge centers […] and so many people didn’t realize that you had early voting,” Yates said.

After a disappointing turnout, Yates said the county has put more effort into using social media to educate Warren County voters on early voting in hopes to get more people to the polls. 

“It’s a process,” Yates said. “Everyone’s going to have to learn that things have changed, and just get used to that change.” 

In May, the fiscal court will have “reinforcement” to analyze the populations in Warren County, including where most people reside. Yates said this process will allow the county to adjust voting locations if necessary.

“Once they have finished that and we see how populations are, we may make some adjustments to what we are planning […] but the plan is don’t change an election plan in the middle of a cycle,” Yates said.

The normal voting location that is most convenient for WKU students wasn’t available to be used for this election, Yates said. Instead of SKyPac, voters will be able to vote at Sugar Maple Square Shopping Center on election day. 

“We’ve tried to have a close to downtown location, the location that we actually have now, that would be the closest probably for Western […] we weren’t able to get SKyPac back,” Yates said. “We’re actually trying to get that back because that would be the most convenient for [a] downtown location.”

Early voting in Warren County will take place from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on Nov 3, 4, and 5. On election day, Nov. 8, voting locations will be open from 6 a.m. until 6 p.m.

To view the ballot, visit Warren County Clerk’s website.

Early voting locations

Ephram White Park

885 Mt Olivet Rd Bowling Green, KY 42101

Living Hope Baptist Church

1805 Westen St Bowling Green, KY 42104

Michael O Buchanon Park

9222 Nashville Rd Bowling Green, KY 42101

Phil Moore Park

7101 Scottsville Rd Alvaton, KY 42122

Sugar Maple Square

1347 KY Highway 185 Bowling Green, KY 42101

Election Day voting locations

Ephram White Park

885 Mt Olivet Rd Bowling Green, KY 42101

Living Hope Baptist Church

1805 Westen St Bowling Green, KY 42104

Michael O Buchanon Park

9222 Nashville Rd Bowling Green, KY 42101

New Cumberland Trace Elementary School

2464 Cumberland Trace Bowling Green, KY 42103

Phil Moore Park

7101 Scottsville Rd Alvaton, KY 42122

Sugar Maple Square

1347 KY Highway 185 Bowling Green, KY 42101

Warren Central High

559 Morgantown Rd Bowling Green, KY 42101

Warren County Cooperative Extension

5162 Russellville Rd Bowling Green, KY 42104

Co-Editor-in-Chief Debra Murray can be reached at debra.murray940@topper.wku.edu. Follow her on Twitter @debramurrayy.

The most common form of gerrymandering is the process of partisan gerrymandering, which has been a common practice in the United States, receiving its name in the 19th Century, according to History. 

“[Gerrymandering] has been going on for a long time,” Scott Lasley, a professor and department head in the Department of Political Science, said. “[With] redistricting, you have to do [it] every ten years after the Census. […] If you gain or lose seats, you have to redraw the lines; even if you don’t gain or lose seats and reapportionment, as long as you have more than one congressional seat, you have to redraw the lines.” 

Redistricting happens primarily on the state and local levels, with the redrawing being for seats in the state Senate and the state House of Representatives, and which counties they represent. By doing this, Lasley said a political party can gain more seats over the other and have a greater say in the state government.

Lasley said there are several general principles that go into good redistricting. These principles include the idea of contiguity, in that the district is connected with itself; making the district as compact as possible; ensuring the district is competitive and avoiding cutting across geographical constituencies so that counties remain in the same district.

Gerrymandering can make efforts easier for one party, while making it more challenging for the other, primarily by redistricting so that there are more incumbents in the opposing party in one district, therefore lowering the number of total seats occupied by certain parties. 

“If one party controls the disproportionate amount of redistricting at the state level, it can certainly set the stage for what party controls the majority of Congress,” Lasley said. “[…] One of the criticisms of redistricting is that it has led to more extreme districts.” 

Traditionally, Kentucky has been a Republican-dominant state, with only the third district, largely centered around Louisville and the surrounding area, voting Democrat. This has continued with the modern redistricting of the state. 

“The argument that some people make is that the districts are being drawn either more red or more blue, and they’re not to promote competition,” Lasley said. “And if that happens, […] in a lot of districts, you’re going to have a permanent minority for a decade, or two decades, or perhaps longer.” 

For this upcoming election, due to population growth in Bowling Green and other parts of the state, some areas have been put into other districts, boosting the GOP’s presence. This will put voters in different districts than before, depending where in the county they live.

Lasley said some examples of this redistricting’s effects would be Republican candidates in more urban environments receiving a much smaller share of the vote and likewise with Democratic candidates in more rural environments.

Reporter Damon Stone can be reached at damon.stone314@topper.wku.edu.

In 2020, a slight majority of voters – 54% – said they voted in person in the 2020 general election, compared with 46% who voted by absentee or mail-in ballot, according to Pew Research Center.

Many people request absentee ballots if they do not have the availability to vote in person, but still wish to vote. 

In Kentucky, the ballot you requested should be delivered by Oct. 25, and your ballot must be returned by mail/received by Nov. 8.

Warren County Clerk Lynette Yates believes absentee ballots are a good option for college students, but that you need to make sure you are informed before you use them. 

College students are eligible to vote via an absentee ballot if they are Kentucky residents who attend college in another state or different county. Non-resident college students who are attending college in Kentucky should contact their local election offices to discuss options or become registered to vote in the state of Kentucky.

“Unless you are really informed and you check out your candidates and you know what you’re voting for, you can really change a community by voting,” Yates said. “You just need to make sure you are aware of what is going on.”

Absentee ballots can be requested at https://www.vote.org/absentee-ballot/ or visit your county clerk’s website.

SGA reporter Bailey Reed can be reached at bailey.reed704@topper.wku.edu.

Students can request an absentee ballot if they are registered to vote in their hometown and are in Kentucky on election day. Absentee ballot requests are available online for individuals who are not able to vote in person. 

Out of state students are also able to register to vote in Kentucky and cast their vote where they attend school. 

The deadline to request an absentee ballot in Kentucky is Oct. 25, and ballots have to be returned and received by mail by Nov. 8. Early voting for in-person absentee voting is from Nov. 3-5, with all in-person voting held on Nov. 8. 

“By getting involved beyond just voting, students can increase their impact beyond just their vote,” Scott Lasley, political science professor and department head, said. 

Lasley is running for first district magistrate of Warren County.

“The earlier students think about where and when they are going to vote, the easier it is for them to make a plan to do so,” Lasley said. 

Lasley said the election will have long and short term impacts on students in a wide range of areas, including housing, education and jobs.

“They can also start building political capital that can lead to some really good opportunities,” Lasley said.

The Kentucky Voter Information Portal can be found here.

News reporter Molly Dobberstein can be reached at molly.dobberstein519@topper.wku.edu.