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.

As voters prepare for Election Day on Tuesday, last-minute contacts, resources and accommodations might be necessary. There are ways to contact your local board of elections based on your county.

Here’s how to contact the state election offices in Ohio and Kentucky.

How do I contact Ohio’s Secretary of State’s office?

The Ohio Secretary of State’s regular office hours are 8:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m. ET, Monday through Friday, including Election Day. For immediate assistance with an election-related question, the office recommends calling 877-767-6446 (extension 1).

• Elections Division
  • Elections Contact Form
  • 614-466-2585
  • 877-SOS-OHIO (877-767-6446, ext. 1)
  • TTY: 614-728-3295
  • TTY toll-free: 877-TTY-OHIO (877-889-6446)

How do I contact my local election office in Ohio?

The Ohio Secretary of State website contains a county boards of elections directory that provides contact information for all 88 counties. The information from the site includes both physical and mailing addresses, telephone numbers, email, office hours of operation, and each county’s board of elections website.

How do I contact my local election office in Kentucky?

The Commonwealth of Kentucky’s state board of elections provides a contact submission form for Kentucky residents, where online users input their name, email, and any comments.

While contact information appears limited to only the state level (rather than individual counties), there is a list of Election Day polling locations with addresses for all Kentucky counties, including Boone, Campbell and Kenton in Northern Kentucky.

Associated Press

BOWLING GREEN, Ky. (AP) — Justin Hill’s 31 points led Wichita State over Western Kentucky 91-84 on Monday night in a season opener.

Hill added eight rebounds, six assists, and three steals for the Shockers. Xavier Bell went 6 of 14 from the field (3 for 7 from 3-point range) to add 17 points. Quincy Ballard shot 4 of 4 from the field and 2 of 4 from the free-throw line to finish with 10 points.

The Hilltoppers were led by Babacar Faye, who posted 28 points and eight rebounds. Don McHenry added 21 points, four assists and two steals for Western Kentucky. Julius Thedford finished with 11 points and two blocks.

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The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.