Go to your 'TV typewriter' today

By BERRY CRAIG

AFT Local 1360

Like most old reporters, I'm a skeptic. So I figured I'd have to jump through more hoops than a circus seal to get one of those mail-in absentee ballots for our June 23 primary.

I was wrong and Bill Finn was right. It's a snap, even for a computer-challenged septuagenarian like me.

State director of the Kentucky State Building and Construction Trades Council, Bill sent us a how-to-sign-up-online email. We posted it Tuesday.

On Wednesday, we reposted what Bill sent and added a list of your state AFL-CIO endorsed candidates. (We also listed the Building Trades endorsements with Bill's post. They're the same except for a handful of candidates the state AFL-CIO took no action on because we didn't have enough information.)

So once more, by the numbers: 

If you're reading this, you're on your mobile phone, PC or Mac. (I'm 70 and call my PC a "TV typewriter.") Click on this link GOVOTEKY.com and if you're a duly registered voter, you're all set. Fill out the form, hit "submit" and expect your ballot in the mail in a few days.

It will come with a stamped, self-addressed envelope. Mark the ballot, send it back and you'll have voted. (Even so, I'll miss those little stickers with the American flag you get when you leave your polling place.)  

If you need help, don't worry. Check out this instructional video: KY State Board of Elections- Absentee request video information

"If want to vote in-person, you can always submit your ballot via the special box at your local courthouse," said Liles Taylor, state AFL-CIO political coordinator. "But if you need to vote in a more traditional manner, you'll find that your county will likely have only one polling place, typically the courthouse."

Added Taylor: "Further, you’ll have to call your county clerk’s office to schedule an appointment for in-person absentee voting, even on Election Day. Please keep in mind, these appointments are intended for voters requiring special accommodations or those who do not have a mailing address -- such as those with housing insecurity. The goal of limiting polling locations is to avoid potential exposure to the coronavirus -- both for voters and the thousands of poll workers across the commonwealth -- which has claimed more than 400 lives in Kentucky--and counting."

So play it safe and play it smart. Sign up to vote by mail. The deadline is  June 15 at 11:59 p.m., local time. But there's not time like today to head for your "TV Typewriter" or your mobile phone.