Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Grassroots Electioneering Underway During Primary Day in Kentucky

Lisa Autry
Warren County Deputy Clerks Robin Loid, left, and Angela Griego take a steady stream of calls from voters.
Credit Lisa Autry
Warren County Deputy Clerks Robin Loid, left, and Angela Griego take a steady stream of calls from voters.

Local election workers are putting in a long day, overseeing the casting and counting of votes. 

Workers in the Warren County Clerk’s office arrived at 5:00 a.m. and have since fielded hundreds of phone calls from people checking their precincts and voting locations. 

Under redistricting, Warren County doubled its number of precincts from the previous 64.  More precincts means people will likely be voting closer to home. 

"We have tried to make that more convenient for the voters," says Warren County Chief Deputy Clerk Sheila Dismon.  "We have a total of 121 precincts, but 88 have actual voters in them.  We are hoping its more on the way to work or on the way home for people to have better access to their polling place.

Voter turnout in Warren County is expected to be around 20 percent, but a host of local races and nice weather could push turnout toward 30 percent, which is predicted to be the state average.

Meanwhile, on the streets, some serious sign-waving is happening at some of Bowling Green's busiest intersections. 

"The day of the election is not really a time to sway a voter's opinion, but it is a time to celebrate the process of a democratic election," comments Stephen Lee Ogden.

Ogden is engaging in some campaign "pedaling," on behalf of a candidate for Warren County Family Court Judge. Ogden has logged about 100 miles through Bowling Green with campaign signs strapped to his bike.

"It's the way to get the word out in a slow, but noticeable way," said Ogden.

Bowling Green and Warren County voters are casting ballots in races for judge-executive, fiscal court, city commission, county clerk, sheriff, jailer, court of appeals judge and family court judge.

Lisa is a Scottsville native and WKU alum. She has worked in radio as a news reporter and anchor for 18 years. Prior to joining WKU Public Radio, she most recently worked at WHAS in Louisville and WLAC in Nashville. She has received numerous awards from the Associated Press, including Best Reporter in Kentucky. Many of her stories have been heard on NPR.