Sat, May 17 2008
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If you are not registered to vote but want to participate in Kentucky’s primary election on May 20, you must register by the close of business Monday in county clerk’s offices throughout the state.
With the tight race between Sen. Hillary Clinton and Sen. Barack Obama for the Democratic nomination for president, interest in this year’s Democratic primary is higher than it has been in many years. After all, this is the first time Kentucky voters from either party have been able to cast a meaningful vote in a presidential primary since Kentucky’s one-time participation in a Super Tuesday primary involving most southern states in February of 1988. Since then, the presidential nominees for both parties have been determined long before the Kentucky primary in May.
But not this year. Regardless of what happens in the state primaries between now and May 20, Clinton and Obama seem determined to carry their fight for the nomination all the way to the convention.
Because John McCain already has enough delegates to secure the Republican nomination, radio personality Rush Limbaugh has been encouraging registered Republicans in states with open primaries to vote in the Democratic primary for the Democrat they believe will be the weakest in the fall campaign against McCain.
However, Kentucky does not have an open party. If you are a registered Republican who wants to vote in the Democratic primary, you are too late. If you have switched your party registration since the beginning of 2008, you will be barred from voting in the primary of your new party.
And if you are registered as an independent, you are barred from voting in either the Democratic or Republican primaries. However, registered independents still will be able to vote in non-partisan races such as those for Ashland mayor and city commission.
While we support Kentucky’s closed primary system, it is ridiculous for registered voters who switched parties in January and February to be barred from voting in their new party’s primary. Secretary of State Trey Grayson said he supports allowing voters to switch parties and still be able to vote in the primary until the deadline for registration passes.
We like that change. It assures that residents who sincerely want to change their party affiliation will not be disenfranchised for doing so after the start of an election year. Whenever possible, laws should encourage people to vote. Kentucky’s law barring those who switch parties from voting in a primary does just the opposite.
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