Election 2020: Incumbents for city council, Congrees and state rep. win big
By JIM BROOKS
Nelson County Gazette / WBRT Radio
Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2020 — The level of interest in Tuesday’s General Election was evident at 5:40 p.m. Tuesday evening at the voting center at the main branch of the Nelson County Public Library, with dozens of voters lined up to cast their votes.
The line stretched from the entrance on the west side of the library building and wrapped around the south end of the library and stretched to the library parking lot entrance — while additional voters circled the lot to find a parking place so they could get in line to vote.
According to the Nelson County Clerk’s Office, 23,336 people voted Tuesday. This total includes the number of people who voted by absentee ballot, the early voters and election day voters. The number doesn’t yet include the outstanding absentee ballots.
VOTER TURNOUT. Interest in the election was driving both by it being a presidential election, the expanded absentee ballot availability, and the three weeks of early voting. Voter turnout in Nelson County was 65.77 percent, with 23,336 of 35,480 registered voters participating.
Statewide voter turnout was 59.36 percent.
STRAIGHT TICKET VOTERS. More than half of the votes cast in the election so far have been straight ticket voters; 54.25 percent of all voters — 12,659 — voted straight ticket. Of that total, most straight ticket voters — 8,865 — were Republicans; 3,657 were Democrats; 19 were members of the Populist Party and 118 were members of the Libertarian Party.
BARDSTOWN COUNCIL RACES. The six incumbents on the Bardstown City Council will return to serve another term according to the vote totals in Tuesday’s general election.
The majority — but not all of the absentee votes have been counted, but it isn’t likely that the outstanding absentees will affect the outcome of the city council races.
The city council vote totals for the incumbent candidates include:
- Roland “Coach Roe” Williams
- Joe Buckman
- Bill Sheckles
- Betty Kelley Hart
- Franklin Hibbs IV
- David Dones
3,087
2,795
2,648
2,622
2,407
2,302
Former councilwoman Kecia Copeland was the seventh-highest vote-getter. The absentee ballots that will be counted this week are unlikely to change the final votes. Those totals will be announced by Friday.
The additional city council candidates included:
- Kecia Copeland
- Angel Thompson
- Skylar McCune
- Detra Haycraft
1,896
1,768
1,273
1,206
50TH DISTRICT STATE REP. Incumbent Republican Rep. Chad McCoy handily defeated Democratic challenger Kory Miller by getting 73.36 percent of the votes cast, or 16,671 votes to Miller’s 6,053.
2ND CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT. U.S. Rep. Brett Guthrie easily carried Nelson County with 70.66 percent of the votes cast over Democrat Hank Linderman. Guthrie went on to garner 73.69 percent of the vote statewide with 94 of 120 counties reporting.
U.S. SENATE. Incumbent Mitch McConnell topped Democrat Amy McGrath with 61.34 percent of the vote. McConnell easy won re-election in statewide polling, with 94 of 120 counties reporting their totals.
BLOOMFIELD CITY COUNCIL. Three candidates were joined by three write-in candidates to fill the six available seats on the Bloomfield City Council. The candidates who filed in advance for a council seat include John Hammond, Judy Gail Wilson and Janet Denise Graves. The three write-in candidates who will join them are Mary R. Lampkin, Laura Barnett and Nathan Jones.
FAIRFIELD CITY COMMISSION. Four candidates filed for the four commissioner seats in Fairfield. The commission will include Paul Kiener, Katy Buckman, Katherine Simpson and Sierra Hamm.
NEW HAVEN CITY COMMISSION. The four candidates who will fill the four seats on the New Haven City Commission include Mary Linda Mattingly, Ruth W. Faulkner, Frances Lois Boley and Mike Morris.
MARSY’S LAW PASSES. The first constitutional amendment on the ballot regarding victims’ rights, known popularly as “Marsy’s Law,” was approved in Nelson County with 60.1 percent of the vote. Statewide, the amendment passed with 63.16 percent of the vote with 116 of 120 counties reporting.
SECOND CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT FAILS. This amendment increases the term of commonwealth’s attorneys from six to eight years beginning in 2030 and increases the term of district court judges from four to eight years beginning in 2022. It would also require district judges to have at least eight years of legal experience rather than two years. The measure was was voted down in Nelson County, with 66.91 percent of voters casting “no” votes.
Statewide, the amendment also failed, with 69.08 percent of voters saying “no.”
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