Kentucky
Why did Kentucky get called for Trump so fast? How KY counts its votes
Early voting in Kentucky: Thousands vote early ahead of 2024 election
More than 225,000 Kentuckians voted early on Oct. 31 for 2024 election, according to Michael Adams, Kentucky’s Secretary of State.
Kentucky was one of the first states to call the presidential race in 2024, thanks in part to election laws that speed up the vote-counting process, Secretary of State’s Office spokesperson Michon Lindstrom said.
Kentucky law allows county clerks to begin processing absentee ballots before polls close, unlike some states, Lindstrom said, which gives election workers a head start on the work for when they can start officially counting votes. Processing of mail-in ballots can begin up to 14 days before an election and must begin by 8 a.m. on election day, according to Kentucky law.
The procedure for processing mail-in ballots can vary slightly from state to state, according to USA TODAY, but it typically prepares the ballot to be counted by verifying the voter’s information and eligibility on the mail ballot envelope, opening the envelope and removing the ballot.
Kentucky polls also close at 6 p.m. local time, making it and Indiana the first two states in the country to close polls, USA TODAY reported.
Winning in Kentucky has been a fairly easy feat for former President Donald Trump in his previous two campaigns, claiming the state by comfortable margins in both elections. He garnered 62.5% of Kentuckians’ votes in 2016 and 62.1% in 2020. Trump was projected to repeat his dominance in Kentucky in 2024.
Kentucky became the first state the Associated Press called in the 2020 General Election when the organization declared Trump the winner around 7 p.m., roughly an hour after polls closed. A similar pattern unfolded in 2016, when Kentucky was among the first three states called by Associated Press.
The commonwealth’s two largest counties, Jefferson and Fayette, are the only two locales where Democratic nominees outstripped their Republican opponent in 2016 and 2020. In Jefferson County, 59.1% of votes went to then-candidate Joe Biden in 2020. In 2016, 54.1% of votes in the county went to former Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton.
This story may update.
Country music is a way of life for many in Kentucky, and one Eastern Kentucky museum embodies the spirit of the music and Bluegrass State musicians like none other.
In Paintsville, the county seat of Johnson County in far-east Kentucky, the U.S. 23 Country Music Highway Museum highlights the lives and careers of dozens of Kentucky-born stars whose contributions to the country music genre landed them a spot on the Country Music Highway — a stretch of U.S. 23 that winds through Kentucky and is designated as a national scenic byway.
Paintsville is located at the “heart” of the Country Music Highway, making it an apt location for the museum, said Jeremiah Parsons, executive director for Paintsville Tourism, which operates the museum.
“The museum was opened in April of 2005 as a way to encapsulate and forever enshrine those country music artists from the Country Music Highway,” Parsons said. “It’s a way to show the legacy and to continue on their music.”
How the U.S. 23 Country Music Highway Museum honors musicians
The U.S. 23 Country Music Highway Museum has no shortage of artists from the areas surrounding the highway to honor.
“We have more country music artists per capita than anywhere else in the world from this section of highway,” Parsons said.
The museum includes items from the careers of star musicians like Chris Stapleton, Loretta Lynn, Billy Ray Cyrus and many more. All items on display are donated by the artists or their families to ensure authenticity, Parsons said.
A few standout items include Stapleton’s boots, Lynn’s guitars, Tom T. Hall’s upright bass and Ricky Skaggs’ family photos.
While not every artist recognized along the Country Music Highway is represented in the museum, Parsons hopes to change that. The museum has reached its space capacity but is hoping to expand in the coming years to allow space for artists without exhibits, Parsons said.
“The Country Music Highway is very dynamic. We always have rising stars,” he said. “We want to give them their proper space, as well.”
What else to know about the U.S. 23 Country Music Highway Museum
Throughout the year on Thursdays, the museum hosts “Front Porch Pickin’” events where musicians can play for a live crowd.
Admission to the museum is $5, which includes the weekly jam sessions for those who come on Thursday evenings.
For Parsons, commemorating country music in Eastern Kentucky bigger than saluting individuals — it’s about paying homage to the Appalachian region and its people.
“It’s an awesome responsibility because you’ve got a lot that you have to manage,” Parsons said. “It’s also a burden, because you’re making sure that you continue to tell the story of the mountains, of the people and of the legacy of these artists.”
Contact reporter Killian Baarlaer at kbaarlaer@gannett.com or @bkillian72 on X.
FRANKFORT, Ky. — A statewide drug operation has led to hundreds of arrests, targeting suspected drug networks operating in the commonwealth.
On Friday, a news release from Kentucky State Police said the agency’s Operation Summer Heat 2.0 was successful.
“Every Kentuckian should be safe and feel safe, and no Kentucky family should feel the pain of losing a loved one to addiction,” Gov. Andy Beshear, D-Ky., said. “Because of the Kentucky State Police, we are accomplishing both of these goals, and we are thankful for the agency’s dedication to every single one of our commonwealth’s communities.”
All 16 KSP posts participated in the operation.
Here’s a look at preliminary results outlined in the news release:
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197 arrests and 490 charges issued
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The estimated street value of the drugs collected exceeds $640,000
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KSP also confiscated 82 firearms, $181,381 in cash, $200,000 worth of stolen property and also recovered a stolen vehicle
Operation Summer Heat 2.0 led to 197 arrests and $640,000 worth of drugs removed from Kentucky streets. All 16 KSP posts participated in the operation. (Kentucky State Police)
“This mission was about more than making arrests, it was about disrupting the criminal enterprises that threatens the safety and health of Kentuckians,” KSP Commissioner Phillip Burnett Jr. said. “I am proud of our personnel, who worked tirelessly to take these dangerous drugs off the streets and who will continue working to keep every community safe.”
The investigation remains active, and more arrests are expected in the coming weeks.
Last year, Operation Summer Heat saw 206 people arrested and nearly $685,000 worth of drugs removed from Kentucky streets.
KSP urges anyone with information about drug activity to contact one of its 16 posts, or submit an anonymous tip on the agency’s website.
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