Why do polls close at 6 p.m. in Kentucky? State is tied for earliest closing time
Polls are closed in Kentucky as votes for the 2023 general election roll in.
Kentucky polls close at 6 p.m., making the Bluegrass State one of the earliest in the country to close voting booths. Politicians and voting rights advocates have argued in recent years to expand voting hours, but bills have floundered.
Here are some quick facts about Kentucky voting hours.
Live: Kentucky election results - Nov. 7, 2023
What time do polls close in Kentucky?
Polls close at 6 p.m. in Kentucky. The state is tied with Indiana for the earliest poll closing time in the country, according to Ballotpedia.
Does voting in Kentucky stop at 6 p.m.?
Polls close at 6 p.m., but if you are in line by that time you are still allowed to vote.
Why do polls close at 6 p.m. in Kentucky?
Kentucky’s constitution requires that elections are held between 6 a.m. and 7 p.m., but does allow the General Assembly to change those hours, Spectrum News reports.
Some politicians and voting rights advocates have argued for expanding Kentucky's voting hours, saying the 6 p.m. closing time makes it harder for some people to vote.
A bipartisan bill introduce by state senators in 2019 proposed extending voting hours to 8 p.m., but the bill died in committee. In 2022, State Sen. Reggie Thomas introduced a bill to expand hours to 7 p.m.
Another Election Day, another opportunity for me to say that closing polls at 6:00pm—as Kentucky does—is ridiculous.
— David S. Bernstein (@dbernstein) November 7, 2023
Kentucky voters are allowed a maximum of four consecutive hours off work to vote if they make a request for time off with their employer.
Six days of early in-person, excused absentee voting is allowed in the state. This year, those dates fell on Oct. 25, 26, 27, 30, 31 and Nov. 1. Early in-person, no-excuse absentee voting was allowed Nov. 2, 3 and 4.
The Kentucky general assembly expanded early in-person absentee voting in 2021. Kentucky first allowed early, no-excuse in-person voting in 2020, following an executive order brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic.
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Why do polls close at 6 p.m. in Kentucky?
