Whitley County registered voters went to the polls in relatively large numbers Tuesday, casting their ballots in this year’s presidential election and for a pair of proposed constitutional amendments that were also on the ballot.
In addition, Corbin Independent School District voters elected three new members to the board of education, including one familiar face.
Whitley County Clerk Carolyn Willis estimated that the voter turnout was slightly over 55 percent.
“I’m not disappointed. I am thankful that people got out and voted. I was expecting a 60-65 percent turnout based on early voting going so well,” Willis said.
Early voting proved popular in Whitley County this year as 22 percent of registered Whitley County voters cast their ballots before Election Day ever took place this year.
A total of 871 people requested mail-in ballots, and 104 people cast their ballots during six days of in-person excused absentee voting, which is strictly for people unable to make it to the polls on Election Day or during one of the three days of early in-person voting for everyone.
During three days of early in-person voting for everyone last Thursday, Friday and Saturday, 5,608 people went to the polls to cast their ballots in Whitley County.
Willis said Tuesday morning that because of long lines, she took additional tables and partitions to the voting center at Oak Grove Elementary School about 9 a.m. Tuesday. She said that other than that, there were no other problems reported on Election Day.
Willis said that the Oak Grove voting center was the busiest voting center with 1,704 voters while the Corbin City Hall voting center was close behind with 1,679 voters.
A new voting center at Corbin Primary School had 455 voters Tuesday, which Willis noted is a little less than what she thought it would do.
“I think maybe people are still getting used to that voting center being open. Hopefully in the future that will climb a little higher and take a little bit of that election traffic off Oak Grove and Corbin City Hall voting centers,” Willis said.
The Williamsburg City School voting center had 1,303 voters.
The Pleasant View voting center had 969 voters, which Willis noted is a marvelous turnout for that voting center in southern Whitley County.
By comparison, nearly 55 percent of voters turned out in Whitley County to cast their ballots during the last presidential election in 2020. Voter turnout for 2016’s presidential election was 51.84 percent and 50.35 percent for the 2012 presidential election.
Local presidential results
In Whitley County there are 20,487 registered Republican voters and 5,075 registered Democratic voters, and presidential voting largely followed party lines.
In the presidential race, Whitley County voters threw their support solidly behind Republican nominee and former President Donald J. Trump, who garnered 12,687 votes to Democratic nominee and Vice-President Kamala Harris, who received 2,236 votes. 151 other candidates on the ballot also received votes.
Final statewide totals were not know as of press time, but at 9 p.m. Tuesday, Trump was leading Harris by a nearly two to one margin.
Other local races
In the uncontested Corbin City Commission race, which encompasses both Knox and Whitley counties, Commissioner Allison Moore was the leading vote getter with 1,516 total votes to James Gambrel’s 1,320 total votes, Brandon Shepherd’s 1,307 total votes, John Baker’s 1,219 total votes and.
In the uncontested Williamsburg City Council race, Laurel Jeffries West was the leading vote getter with 875 votes followed by Erica Broome Harris with 812 votes, Loren Connell with 768 votes, Patty Faulkner with 726 votes, Mary Ann Stanfill with 702 votes, and Richard Foley with 699 votes.
The leading vote getter in each of these races serves as Mayor Pro Tem and presides over city commission or city council meetings in the mayor’s absence.
Several candidates on Tuesday’s ballot in Whitley County were unopposed, including: U.S. Rep. Hal Rogers, 25th State Senator Robert Stivers, 82nd State Rep. Nick Wilson, 34th Judicial Circuit Commonwealth’s Attorney Ronnie Bowling, Whitley Circuit Court Clerk Gary Barton, Williamsburg Independent Board of Education members Kim Broome White and Allan W. Steely, and Whitley County Board of Education members Paula Parker Grubb, Brenda Hill, and J.E. Jones.
