After some technical difficulties with voter ID machines in Louisville early Tuesday morning, polling places are getting back on track.
Some Louisville residents say it took them nearly an hour to vote in the hours after polls opened. State and county election officials say high voter turnout and issues with the machines that check voter IDs compounded the delays.
"I am being told by [election software system officials] the issue has been resolved,” Michon Lindstrom, with the Kentucky Secretary of State’s Office, said in an email. “The delay was caused by the e-poll books not being backed up early enough to be ready at 6 am. This only affected Jefferson County. I’m being told the lines are moving more quickly."
At one south Louisville location, that seemed to be the case.
“It was a few [voters] that were here for about an hour,” said Kim Curry, a poll worker. “It was [delayed], but we got ahead, and you see how good we’re working. Teamwork makes the dream work.”
Jefferson County Clerk’s Office spokesperson Nailah Spencer told LPM News that once the election officers turned on the machines, it was adding all the absentee and early voters to account for who's already voted. The influx of information caused the delays. She said the issue is resolving itself, but it’s taking time.
Curry said election workers have been manually checking in voters at her location at Suburban Masonic Lodge #740. She said voters here have been patient, and she encourages all Louisville voters to do the same this Election Day.
“Be patient. Calm down. Don't get over excited. Don't let your anxiety kick in, and you'll get through it….We're going to get through it,” Curry said.
Polls across Jefferson County opened by 6 a.m. Tuesday, and some Louisville residents said it took them nearly an hour to vote. Those who woke up early to cast their ballots were met with technical difficulties with the voter check-in technology.
Accounts on the social media site X detailed long waits before voters could get into polling locations.
@KYSecState Jefferson county tablets are a disaster. Lines out the door at 6:30am. No backup protocol? Ridiculous
— Joey McSweeney (@jrsweeney33) November 5, 2024
One user asked if polling locations would be open later due to the technical delays.
I went to vote and the machines are not working. They estimated there would be a 30 minute wait. Are they going to extend the time 30 minutes?
— Hannah Drake (@HannahDrake628) November 5, 2024
Jefferson County Community and Technical College Professor Michael Shell said it took him over an hour to cast his ballot at Stopher Elementary in the Lake Forest neighborhood.
“I observed several folks leaving who could not be late to work,” Shell said in an email.
Louisville Mayor Craig Greenberg encouraged businesses to allow employees more flexibility to vote because of the delays and for people who experience issues to report them at 502-574-6100.
“We encourage the Jefferson County and State Boards of Elections to keep the polls open longer and provide all available accommodations to ensure that everyone gets a chance to vote in this important election," Greenberg said in an emailed statement.
Curry, the poll worker in south Louisville, said she’s been an election worker for more than seven years. She is retired, and she loves to talk to voters at the polls. She added “I Voted” wristbands to her earrings to celebrate Election Day.
While it’s important for her to embrace all her civic duties, she said her duty to vote in this election is crucial.
“It's very, very, very important to me, because I feel like I can't express my opinion or express how I feel if I don't vote. I'm trying to change what I feel is right in my perspective. Like, how are you going to complain and say something about something if you don't vote? So I feel like my vote counts, so I seriously try to come and vote,” Curry said.
Polls are open in Kentucky until 6 p.m. local time. State law says that if you are in line by 6 p.m., you must be allowed to vote.
The U.S. Department of Justice is monitoring polling places in several jurisdictions across the country this Election Day to monitor for compliance with federal voting laws. Jefferson and Kenton counties are the two locations for Kentucky.
Find more information on candidates and how to vote with Louisville Public Media's interactive voter guide.
This story has been updated with additional information.
Breya Jones and Ryan Van Velzer contributed to this reporting.
