Kentucky's Tuesday primary election looms large as election officers have been fielding more mail-in ballots for this primary than all the absentee and in-person votes in the 2016 presidential primary combined.
In Kenton County alone, turnout is 223% higher than the 2016 presidential primary.
"That is a surprising statistic," said Dirk Vanderend, a voter in NKY. "Voter apathy has always been a problem in America. We usually, during a presidential election, only half of people eligible to vote actually go out and vote. So I'm encouraged."
For Kenton County clerk Gabrielle Summe, the high demand on her team has been stressful. She has pulled staff from other departments to work weekends and overtime.
"Not sure I can totally give you the perspective on how stressful this has been," said Summe. She said despite that, she hopes the trend isn't one that goes away any time soon. She said she hopes those participating in this election will continue to vote more in the future.
On Tuesday, all in-person voting opens in Kentucky. In Northern Kentucky, the Northern Kentucky Convention Center will be open with free parking on two sides of the building and plenty of space inside to accommodate crowds and social distancing.
