Extension Given at KY Polling Station After Gas Leak, Police Pursuit

The 2023 election was very disappointing for conservatives, but it was also quite eventful.

A judge extended polling hours after several disruptions were reported.

The two locations were permitted to have an extra 30 minutes after a gas leak was detected at one and a police chase took place at the other.

Disruptions

Blue Lick Elementary School and Highland Baptist Church had a bit more excitement than we usually see during an election night.

The polling locations were only supposed to be open until 6:00 p.m., but hours were extended to accommodate voters who may have missed their opportunity to vote due to the disruptions.

Around 4:00 p.m., a gas leak was detected at the Highland Baptist location that forced the location to close for about 30 minutes.

At the Blue Lick Elementary location, there was a brief police pursuit that caused that station to be closed for about 30 minutes.

Circuit Court Judge Brian Edwards issued the order to allow both locations to extend their hours to meet voter demand.

A local report stated, “A gas leak forced a 30-minute closure at Highland Baptist, and a police pursuit forced a similar one at Blue Lick Elementary. Anyone in line by 6:30 p.m. will be allowed to vote.”

The extra time did not help the GOP, as gubernatorial candidate Attorney General Daniel Cameron, who was backed by Trump, lost to incumbent Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear.

After the election was over, Trump dumped on Cameron, pointing all blame for the loss on Cameron’s ties to Senator Mitch McConnell (R-KY).

The election was not even close, with Beshear winning by roughly 67,000 votes, which equated to about 5%.

For the GOP, this is a massive embarrassment, as Kentucky is considered a deep-red state, not exactly a good outlook for the 2024 race for which the GOP is hoping to flip some blue seats to take back the Senate and extend its lead in the House.