Drive-thru voting draws high turnout in Ky. county

LAWRENCEBURG, Ky. (WKYT) - On most any given day, Lawrenceburg's city maintenance garage is just that. But come election season, it turns into a drive-thru polling place that Anderson County Clerk Jason Denny says can service more than 2,000 voters a day.

"We're running about 60% of our total voters go through the drive-thru, whether it's early voting or election day, all combined," said Denny.

Denny says it started as an idea he had in the build-up to the 2020 primary election while he searched for a way to safely get people to the polls.

"I had already experienced an option here at our office, where we were in an old bank, to use drive-thru motor vehicle registration, and I said, 'Well, wouldn't it be neat if we could drive-thru vote?'" Denny said.

It's now helped them process the highest overall turnout of any county in the state in 2024, as well as the highest early voting turnout at 41%.

"It has gotten almost too popular," said Denny. "There's times when it does create a line at that facility when there are no lines at the others."

Denny says 68.93% of Anderson County's electorate made it out to the polls. So why don't other localities give it a try?

"It is not for the faint of heart. It is an orchestrated event," Denny said.

Denny says it takes two to three times the number of election workers and more equipment than what is needed for their standard polling places. The secretary of state's office tells us they're neutral on whether or not counties should use it, because some simply don't have the infrastructure.

"You have to have a facility that can accommodate weather," said Denny. "Just throwing up a tent might not be a good idea."

In bigger counties, the popularity also would become a problem, as traffic and congestion cancel out the convenience.

So, Denny's situation is unique, and it's one he hopes to keep in Anderson County for a long time to come.

"That's the biggest question and the most-asked question all year long in our office," Denny said. "'Are you going to have the drive-thru? Yes, we are.'"

Denny said the only other county that utilizes a similar system is Butler County. Estill County used drive-thru voting in 2020 during covid and their clerk tells us they hope to return to it again because it was a success there as well.