Dear Neighbors,

This Friday, October 9, 2020 is the last day to request an absentee ballot for the important November 3, election. It’s easy to do.

· Using the Internet, access govoteky.com to request through the Kentucky Secretary of State. Click on the Absentee Ballot Request option. You can do this until 11:59 p.m. on October 9. This is by far the most efficient and thus the preferred way to request a ballot by mail.

· If you absolutely cannot use the Internet, you can call the Office of the Fayette County Clerk at 859-253-3344 to request that a ballot be mailed to you. You can still do this tomorrow and Friday during office hours. The office closes on Friday at 4:30 p.m.

In both cases, you will need to supply standard identifying information for yourself as a registered voter. By Executive Order of the Governor, all Kentuckians who are concerned about contracting or spreading COVID-19 may vote via absentee ballot for the 2020 general election.

The County Clerk’s Office will fill each registered voter’s request by promptly mailing to the voter’s address a large and clearly labeled envelope containing all items that you need to vote and return the ballot.

You may have read in the paper that our county clerk expected to receive about 40,000 more requests for mail-in ballots than he had received. FCNC members can help to get out the vote by circulating reminders of the closing date for mail-in ballot requests. Tell your neighbors, tell you neighborhood or homeowners association, put it on FaceBook and NextDoor and Twitter.

Once you have completed the mail-in absentee ballot procedure (be observant of all the instructions on the ballot – they are exacting*), turn in the ballot for counting. How?

— By mail, no postage required; drop the properly completed and sealed ballot into any U.S. Postal Service mailbox or at any post office. It must be postmarked by November 3, but don’t wait! Your ballot must be received by November 6.

— By dropping the completed ballot into a local ballot box from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. weekdays or 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. on Saturdays. On election Day November 3, you can drop your ballot at the same locations from 6:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. You can find a secure blue ballot box located at any of these six Fayette locations:

· Tates Creek Branch Library, 3628 Walden Drive

· Northside Branch Library, 1733 Russell Cave Road

· Beaumont Branch Library, 3080 Fieldstone Way

· Dunbar Center, 545 North Upper Street

· Lexington Senior Center, 195 Life Lane

· BCTC Leestown Campus, 164 Opportunity Way

Collection from each box is made daily. Your ballot is safe!

And you have no doubt heard the admonition to complete the process early and return your ballot! It’s good advice!

Voting is so important! The above is intended to inform you of the particulars of absentee mail-in voting. We hope it is helpful, either for you and/or for you to pass along to others who might have questions about absentee voting. The deadline for requesting a ballot is this Friday, October 9.

Coming soon: another email, this one concerning in-person voting, where and when! Nothing is the same in this year of the pandemic. We hope that our neighbors are all prepared to vote in the way that most suits their preferred method.

Thanks for reading!

Walt Gaffield, President

Fayette County Neighborhood Council

*This information is from a follow-up mailing from our own absentee ballot. 3 steps to follow after you’ve voted absentee:

1. SIGN – Sign both the inner and outer envelope.

2. SEAL – Seal the inner and outer envelope. Be sure to leave the perforated portion of the inner envelope intact.

3. DELIVER – Drop it in the mail, return it to a secure drop box, or return it to your county clerk’s office.

If you have any questions or concerns about voting, call 1-833-KYVOTES, or go to www.kentuckyvotes.com.