Kentucky voters in 2006 not only will see the largest number of offices ever on the ballot - more than 4,000 - but it's also shaping up as a "no excuses" year for voter turnout.
Although only registered Kentucky Republicans and Democrats can vote in their party's primaries, 2006 should also be a particularly good year for voters registered as independents. In Boone, Campbell and Kenton counties, independents account for about 10 percent of the total registered electorate. New voting machines throughout Kentucky should make it easier than ever for those registered as "other" - neither Republican nor Democrat - to cast ballots for nonpartisan races in the May 2006 primary. Some 263 judgeships will be at stake. Election officials need to make sure no one eligible to vote in nonpartisan races is mistakenly turned away from the polls.
Voters still dithering over whether to switch parties also need to get cracking and register any change by the Dec. 31, 2005 deadline. Kentucky Secretary of State Trey Grayson has been warning that time is running out, and procrastinators need to keep in mind the deadline falls on a Saturday this year, when county offices may not be open.
Registration cards are available at county clerks' offices or can be downloaded from the Secretary of State's Web site,
www.sos.ky.gov/register.
"We want to make sure that every citizen has the chance to vote in the primary election of their choosing," Grayson said. Primary candidates have until Jan. 31 to file for office.
The Associated Press has reported that some of the old voting machines weren't equipped to accommodate registered independent voters with ballots for nonpartisan races only. Even after new voting machines eliminated the technical barriers, some misinformed poll workers reportedly turned away eligible independents from voting in nonpartisan races.
Although Kentucky's registered independents as of Nov. 16 number 172,324, you could count their turnout in some counties in past primary elections on the fingers of one hand. More than 2.7 million people are registered to vote in Kentucky.
Excuses for not voting or excluding eligible voters here sound even more lame this week as Iraqi voters on Thursday will risk their very lives going to the polls, this time to vote for a permanent government. The risk of rain in this country can depress voter turnout.
Kentucky's turnout for the Nov. 2, 2004, general election was 50.3 percent. Will more turn out in 2006 when a record number of offices will be decided?
A 1992 constitutional amendment created an "off year" in Kentucky's election cycles than has contributed to the extraordinary number of races on the 2006 ballot. Now every four years Kentucky does not have a regularly scheduled election, and office terms have been adjusted to align with this change.
This is the first time since 1992 that so many races will go on the ballot at the same time.
It is also the first time there are so few excuses not to vote.