Getting ready for November election means making a voting plan

Guest Columnists
Beth Salamon and
Ruth Greenberg

(This is the second in a three-part series by NCJW, Louisville Section, about voting in the November election.)

Voting hasn’t always been easy for everyone, but this year feels particularly challenging.
For many Louisville voters, concerns about exposure to COVID-19, a lack of information about which polling centers will be open or where drop boxes for mail-in ballots will be located, coupled with allegations that the postmaster general violated campaign finance laws and the Russians are interfering with our election, are heightening their anxiety about the Nov. 3 election.
Fortunately, Kentucky is now at the forefront of states providing voters with safe, secure voting options for this, perhaps the most critical election in our lifetimes. At a recent Zoom event hosted by the Frazier History Museum and sponsored, in part, by NCJW, Louisville Section, Rick Green, editor of the Courier-Journal, called the voting plan forged by Governor Andy Beshear and Secretary of State Michael Adams “a great win for the voters of our commonwealth.” He praised the two political leaders for having the courage to strike a deal in the current national environment.
Further, Secretary Adams stated, “Ultimately, what we got was an election process that’s fair,” and Amina Elahi, city reporter at WFPL News, reported that the deal created “a measure of relief among Kentucky voters,” many of whom “felt lots of anxiety around voting during the primary.”
Now that Kentucky voters have a safe, secure voting plan for the national election, it’s up to each of us to develop a personal voting plan that will ensure we all cast our ballots. NCJW, Louisville Section, along with the Jewish Community Relations Council, is working hard to provide Louisville voters with the information they need to develop that plan.
Kentucky voters have three voting options this year: absentee ballot; in-person before Election Day; and in-person on Election Day.

Need Information?
To request your absentee ballot online, go to www.govoteky.com today. The deadline to request your mail-in ballot is Oct. 9 at 11:59 p.m.
If you don’t have a computer, call Jefferson County Clerk Bobbie Holsclaw at 502-574-6100 to request your absentee ballot.

Have a Question?
If you have questions about voter registration, polling locations, absentee ballots or anything else, submit your questions to elections@jewishlouisville.org. And Attorney Seth Gladstein will respond promptly with up-to-date answers and information.

Tzedek tzedek tirdof — justice, justice, shall you pursue — is a guiding NCJW imperative. We have an obligation to secure access to health care, welcome immigrants and care for those in poverty. The Talmud teaches us that anyone who sees harm and doesn’t speak out is held responsible.
Make your voting plan today to ensure that your voice is heard on Nov 3.

(Ruth Greenberg is a writer, blogger and member of NCJW, Louisville Section. Beth Salamon is the state policy advocate of NCJW-Louisville and the chair of the Jewish Community Relations Council.)

Leave a Reply