In light of the 2023 Kentucky gubernatorial race, voting polls near the University of Kentucky’s campus provided a closer destination for some UK students to vote on Tuesday, Nov. 7.
Sites such as the Catholic Newman Center located on central campus and the Carver Center by the Lexington Fire Department Station 3 were said to be easily accessible for some to cast their vote for Democratic incumbent Andy Beshear or Republican challenger Attorney General Daniel Cameron.
“It’s a lot easier than I expected. I expected to have to drive, and this was a lot nicer than having to get out and go somewhere that wasn’t walking distance,” UK sophomore and Catholic Newman Center voter Olivia Kelly said.
UK junior MaKenzie Purdom said that although she commuted to her voting location at the Carver Center, she felt it was a reasonable location.
“I live in an off-campus apartment and am registered with that address. I have a car, so it wasn’t a problem for me to go there, it was literally like a three-minute drive. For me the location was convenient,” Purdom said.
Purdom also found herself voting for additional reasons than convenience.
“I have a very strong preference for who I wanted for governor, so it was really important for me to go, especially to vote on that specific position,” Purdom said.
Aside from Purdom, fellow voter Kelly said she was encouraged to vote to ensure that her age group was represented.
“Every vote does matter and especially (in) the younger generation. We don’t really have great voter turn-out, so a lot of that really encouraged me to go out and vote today,” Kelly said.
First-time voter and UK freshman Gracy Frank said she cast her ballot at the Newman Center for the close proximity and to ease previous stress she had of voting in the right state.
“I was kind of stressed because I wanted to make sure that I wasn’t registered in both my home state of Ohio and Kentucky, so I did all my registration online, and they sent me a piece of mail saying that I should vote here (in Kentucky),” Frank said.
Lexington residents, such as Catherine La, also found the Newman Center location to be convenient and beneficial in that she and her family live “just down the street.”
For those who may be unfamiliar with the area, signs were taped onto traffic cones and doors, being made overall visible to voters.
Lexington resident Lucien Mieze said that the presence of such signs at the Catholic Newman Center encouraged his utilization of the location and that “the distance was most of the ease.”
La, who voted at a location close to campus, said that every election was important to her.
“I just believe in casting your ballot and making sure that your voice is heard,” La said.
