Long delays at Louisville polls could spur emergency lawsuits to win voters more time
Republished from Kentucky Lantern
LOUISVILLE — At least two groups are considering emergency lawsuits to give Jefferson County residents more time to vote after some experienced lengthy delays, apparently caused by technical problems at polling places.
The American Civil Liberties Union and the Louisville Democratic Party both are considering going to court to try to get voters more time to cast ballots in Tuesday’s race with the presidential election at the top of the ticket.
“After three days of historic levels of early voting, unfortunately the burden now falls to voters to find more time in their schedules to be able to cast their ballots,” said ACLU legal director Corey Shapiro. “We encourage all voters to stay in line so that their voices may be heard.”
Kentucky law requires all voters in line by 6 p.m. — when polls officially close — be allowed to vote, but they must be at the precinct in line.
Louisville Mayor Craig Greenberg, a Democrat, had asked on X, formerly Twitter, Tuesday for Jefferson County Clerk Bobbie Holsclaw, a Republican, to consider extending voting hours. But her office rejected that option in a response posted by WDRB news anchor Hayden Ristevski.
“We have no intention of keeping the polls open later than 6, and we would appreciate if the mayor would refrain from telling us how to do our job,” it said.
“We are confident that everyone will be able to vote by 6 p.m. today,” it said.
A spokeswoman for Holsclaw did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Beth Thorpe, communications chair for the Louisville Democratic Party, said Democrats also are considering legal action after hearing reports of voters waiting two hours or longer, some of whom had to leave.
One included an emergency room physician who waited two hours before having to leave for a 12-hour work shift, which means she will be unable to get back to the polls in time to vote.
“We have been collecting stories,” Thorpe said. “What is unquantifiable is how many people have left who are not going to be able to come back.”
Michon Lindstrom, a spokeswoman for Secretary of State Michael Adams, said the issue appeared to affect only Jefferson County and related to equipment not being fully backed up before polls opened at 6 a.m.
“The issue has been resolved,” she said in an email.
Delays in computer equipment used to check in voters and verify their identity appears to have caused the delays, Thorpe said.
The problem appeared to be linked to efforts to back up the system before the polls opened with the names of the thousands of people who cast ballots through early voting. Nearly 800,000 Kentuckians took advantage of early voting, Republican Secretary of State Michael Adams said.
At St. Paul United Methodist Church in Louisville’s Highlands, which houses several voting precincts, voters waited in a growing line and workers tried to usher them through the process.
“Computer problems,” said one election worker as he checked in voters.
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