Election Day is November 7 – exercise your right to vote By SANDRA STONE With Election Day less than a week away, Meade County Clerk Katrina Fitzgerald and her staff are busy preparing for what will be the biggest election in Meade County’s history. With this election season, Meade County has responded to a federal mandate known as HAVA, the Help America Vote Act. This act ensures all polling places are handicapped accessible and that every voter has the capability to vote without assistance if that is his or her choice. To comply with HAVA requirements, Meade County has made two significant changes. The first is the change in polling places. All polling places are now located in the public school buildings in Brandenburg, Payneville, Ekron, Muldraugh and Flaherty. As these buildings already comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) regulations, it was a logical fit for the county to utilize these locations. The other change is with the voting machines. The “old” voting machines, the ones everyone is accustomed to using, are still in place and still in use. However, a new E-Slate voting machine is also in use in each precinct. These machines allow the visually impaired and those who cannot read English to vote without assistance. A demonstration E-Slate voting machine is set up in the clerk’s office. Voters are welcome to come in and try it out during office hours. The addition of a second machine has also resulted in a change to how the ballot looks. Fitzgerald encourages all voters to study the sample ballot which appears on Page 9B in this issue of the Meade County Messenger prior to coming to the polls. Voters may still choose to vote a straight party ticket, she said, but she cautioned against stopping there. “Voters using the E-Slate should be sure to page over to vote in the nonpartisan races as well,” she said. Nonpartisan races include the cities of Brandenburg, Ekron and Muldraugh and the two school board district seats up for election. Fitzgerald reminds all candidates and voters that electioneering around polling places is prohibited. “I’ve sent a letter to all candidates asking them to keep signs off school property,” she said. “The schools are nonpartisan and provide their buildings as a community service. Please respect that and keep political signs off school property and rights of way.” Additionally, Fitzgerald said, there are to be no big signs on the backs of vehicles going to the polls. A bumper sticker on a vehicle is acceptable, provided the driver of that vehicle simply goes in to vote and then leaves. “Please go vote,” said Fitzgerald, including all registered voters in her plea. “This is a local election, important to the citizens of Meade County. Make sure your voice is heard.” Election Day: Absentee voting will continue in the clerk’s office now through Nov. 6 at 4:30 p.m. The deadline for a paper absentee ballot was Oct. 31. Photo ID is required when going to vote. The county clerk’s office is closed Nov. 7 to any business other than election business.
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