'Grandstanding'? Clerk, Kentucky secretary of state at odds over Senate special election

The Jefferson County Board of Elections' plan for the upcoming special election to fill an open Kentucky Senate seat is still in limbo, and two elections officials are at odds over the reason behind it.

Jefferson County Clerk Bobbie Holsclaw said she believes a key factor behind the plan put forward Tuesday not being approved was "political grandstanding." Secretary of State Michael Adams, meanwhile, said Holsclaw failed to open enough open polling locations for a race with thousands of voters – and said he's going to try to "fix the mistake" in a meeting Friday with the head of Louisville's public school district, Marty Pollio.

At a press conference Thursday afternoon in downtown Louisville, two days after the state elections board did not put forward a motion to approve a proposal submitted by Jefferson County officials that would have opened four polling locations in the city to fill the open District 19 seat, Holsclaw implied Adams, who had pushed for more voting centers, was using the controversy as part of his 2023 reelection bid and defended the plan her office had submitted.

More coverage:Who will replace Morgan McGarvey? What to know about special election

"One thing that I've always done is kept politics out of this office, particularly when it comes to elections – and I would like to continue to keep elections that way," Holsclaw, who was first elected in 1998 and is in her seventh term, told reporters at Metro Hall. "I still stand by the plan that we have."

When reached by The Courier Journal after the press conference, Adams said his issues with the proposal have "nothing to do with politics" and that the plan Holsclaw's office submitted, with fewer polling centers than some previous races, had not been given approval as required by the Kentucky Board of Elections and had not been approved by the county board until just before Tuesday's meeting with the state board.

"The problem with that is that there was no opportunity by the public for notice or comment, no public input solicited or received, and that's not how the law is supposed to work," he said. "This is supposed to be an open process, because the public has a right to be a part of this, and they have a right to be heard before polling locations are eliminated."

The upcoming special election, set for Feb. 21, will determine who will take the Kentucky Senate seat previously held by Morgan McGarvey, who was sworn in as Louisville's representative in U.S. Congress earlier this month after being elected in November. One the ballot will be Democrat Cassie Chambers Armstrong and Republican Misty Glin.

In Louisville:Metro Council has vacant seats. Is the process to fill them 'anti-democratic'?

The plan submitted by Holsclaw's office called for four polling locations to be open in Louisville: The Arterburn (310 Ten Pin Lane), the Jefferson County Central Government Center (7201 Outer Loop), the Jefferson County Clerk Election Center (1000 E. Liberty St.) and the Cyril Allgeier Community Center (4101 Cadillac Court). Those four locations will be open on Election Day as well as for in-person no-excuse absentee voting from Feb. 16-18.

Adams, who's been in office since 2020 after being elected the previous November, said he does not believe four polling locations is adequate to cover a race with a voter population of nearly 100,00 people in the Highlands and several surrounding Louisville neighborhoods, a district he described as one that "tends to have higher turnout than the average" due to demographics.

Holsclaw, meanwhile, said a special election would likely not see a high number of voters and the four locations put forward in her plan should be enough to cover the district, noting elections can be costly and just 60 or so absentee ballots had been requested so far, indicating potential for a low turnout.

"I want people to get out and vote. I do believe that they do," she said. "The four locations that we have are very adequate for the moment."

Adams is set to meet with Pollio on Friday to discuss potentially opening a number of schools in the region for voting – Adams said he hoped those additional locations would only be open on Election Day, which falls on a day where JCPS classes will not be in session, and would not have to be made available for early voting.

Holsclaw said that in a previous discussion with Pollio in September 2021 the superintendent said he would not take classes out of session for multiple days to open Louisville schools as polling locations. In a statement provided Thursday evening, JCPS said that was true – both Holsclaw and the district said that was the last time Pollio had spoken with the Jefferson County clerk – but that Pollio told Gov. Andy Beshear this month that he would be willing to allow schools to be used as polling locations on Feb. 21 since students will not be in class that day.

"JCPS has always been willing to provide schools as polling locations as long as the voting takes place when students are not in school, there is no need for extra security and our gymnasiums, cafeterias and auditoriums are not being used by our students," said the statement from the district, provided by spokesperson Mark Hebert.

Thursday headlines:Beshear makes more Kentucky juvenile detention center changes, including worker raises

Holsclaw said she understood closing schools is not convenient for parents or for the district but said Pollio had not reached out to collaborate on a plan.

"I don't have plans to add more locations," she said Thursday. "I'll be glad to work with the secretary of state and the superintendent if they have something that they want to offer, but as of today, I have not heard a word."

Adams, after her press conference, said he was doing what his position requires.

"I'm not being political here. I'm doing my job," Adams said. "It was her job to call the superintendent. She didn't, so I did. I'm just doing my job."

Adams had previously said the date of the special election, Feb. 21, will not change, and that a new plan could be approved as soon as early next week.

Reach Lucas Aulbach at laulbach@courier-journal.com.

This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Kentucky Senate special election sparks rift between Holsclaw, Adams