The Bullitt County History Museum

Recognizing Our Voting Workers

The following article by Charles Hartley was published on 6 Nov 2016.


Like many of you, on election day I go to my polling place to cast my vote for the candidates of my choice. I walk in, am greeted by friendly people, sign my name on the roster, take my ballot, fill it out and deposit it in the machine, get my little "I voted" sticker, and leave, satisfied that I've done my patriotic duty. I give little thought to the time and effort, and the people who made it possible for me to vote.

However, this time with all the hullabaloo over getting the vote count right, I thought it would be interesting to examine just how it's done.

The process hasn't changed a great deal in the last hundred years, except to maybe get more carefully managed for accuracy.

As you can see on the chart shown at the bottom of this window, in 1906 and 1917 there were 11 voting precincts in Bullitt County with four officials assigned to each one. By 1925 and then in 1940 there were 16 precincts as population grew. If your family has been in the county for that long, perhaps you will recognize a name or two of your own ancestors on this list.

Today there are still four main officers at each precinct: two judges, a clerk, and a sheriff. Each is a private citizen who has been trained to do his or her job. However, as the county's population had grown, so has the number of precincts, now a total of 48.

To be a precinct officer, you must be a registered voter. You cannot serve if you are a candidate for office, or a family member of a candidate for office in that precinct. You also cannot have changed your party affiliation within a year prior to your appointment as an officer.

Among other things, the clerk is responsible for determining that the voter is who he says he is, that he lives in that precinct, and that his name is on the signature roster. Like many folks, I use my driver's license to verify my identity, but identity can also be verified other ways. For example you might be known by a precinct officer, or you might produce another form of identification that contains both a picture and signature in order to cast a ballot.

The two judges, one a Democrat and the other a Republican, are responsible for setting up and operating the voting machine for voters. They also return the election supplies to the County Clerk's office after the polls close. They ensure that the voter gets the proper ballot, and are responsible for informing the precinct sheriff of any real or potential election law violations or irregularities.

The precinct sheriff is responsible for maintaining order at the polling place. He or she must ensure that unauthorized individuals are not creating check-off lists or recording the identity of any voter, and that only persons allowed by law are granted access to the voting room. He is also responsible for placing himself at the end of the voting line at 6:00 p.m. to see that all voters in line at that time are allowed to vote.

The precinct sheriff reports any potential election law offenses to the county clerk, county sheriff, or the State Police.

To maintain impartiality, the clerk and sheriff are from opposite political parties.

These officials arrive by 5:30 in the morning, and don't finish until after the voting is finished, the equipment and supplies are all ready, and the voting tally is complete.

But the whole process of ensuring an accurate election doesn't begin or end with these officials.

As noted on the County Clerk's web site, preparations for election day begin months in advance. All of the election officers needed to operate the 48 precincts on election day must be recruited and trained by the Board of Elections which includes the county clerk, the county sheriff or his representative, and two appointees, one from each major political party. These last two are nominated by their parties.

It is their job to administer election laws and supervise the registration of voters.

The Board of Elections also accepts the filing papers of candidates and their campaign finance reports, places legal advertisements in the newspaper, delivers voting equipment, prepares the ballot, selects polling sites and maps all precincts and legislative subdivisions.

The voting machines are inspected and then sealed before being delivered to the precincts prior to the election. These seals are removed by the precinct workers the morning of the election when they set them up for voting.

After the voting is complete, the precinct workers have a number of specific tasks to complete. They close the voting machines and tabulate the votes. Another task is to ensure that the number of votes processed equals the number of votes recorded on the voting machines which in turn equals the number of signatures in the roster.

After completing a number of summary forms, they seal the machines and return the results to the county clerk's office.

The machines remain locked for 30 days after the election and can only be opened by court order.

The laws and regulations that govern the voting process are much more extensive that I've had space to describe here. They are designed to help ensure an honest, fair election. Will anyone attempt to vote illegally? Almost certainly. Will anyone succeed? Maybe. But if the good folks who man our precincts have anything to say about it, we can all rest assured that the ballot boxes will be filled with honest votes.

So, when you go to cast your vote, be sure to thank these good people for their dedication and service.

PRECINCTJUDGEJUDGESHERIFFCLERK
1906
Shepherdsville #1James MillerJohn R. BuckmanO. P. MeansHarrison Foster
Cupio #2James CundiffCharles ApplegateJ. T. FergusonJ. A. Smith
Zoneton #3Wilson SummesWilliam JenkinsCharles HackneyJames Pope
Mt. Washington #4E. F. BrookshireJ. D. StansburySim OwensWilliam Anderson
Leaches #5Malcomb HarmonEd AshCharles TrollBen H. Crist
Clermont #6Alonzo HatfieldWilliam SchaeferJohn ConniffEd Perkins
Belmont #7John R. HillJames StansburyHenry SheltonSam McCubbins
Lebanon Junction #8A. L. RobyI. L. DawsonJohn L. HoaglandJoe Dobson
Pitts Point #9John ChambersW. J. LeeWilliam FosterW. E. Ashby
Griffin #10T. J. BarrallR. B. RidgwayW. F. JoyceFrank Goldsmith
Shepherdsville #11Leroy DanielS. A. HornbeckWilliam CombsHardin Wise
1917
Shepherdsville #1Herbert LeeC. C. DaughertyJ. H. MillerO. P. Means
Cupie #2Ernest FunkOwen DemarshJohn MarcumCharles Applegate
Zoneton #3Charles McKinzieJ. W. PopeGabe BealmearJosh Gore
Mt. Washington #4R. E. McAfeeW. H. McFarlandJohn ClarkW. D. Ellaby
Leaches #5Jonce ClarkWill ShawA. J. RobyCharles Troll
Clermont #6George PerkinsDick ClarkEd VittitoeJ. M. Dawson
Lebanon Jct #7Bev BrashearAndy MannJohn SamuelsJohn Collings
Belmont #8D. BumgardnerT. L. CoakleyHarve McCubbinsChester Hill
Pitts Point #9Leslie IceS. P. SmithBob ArmstrongW. H. Cundiff
Griffin #10Buck CloseRoy MasdenCharles RodgersLee Beard
Shepherdsville #11J. W. ThompsonS. C. BridwellHenry HamiltonW. T. Morrow
1925
Shepherdsville #1D. M. KelleyJack NewmanN. B. TrunnellW. F. Joyce
Shepherdsville #2W. S. HallMc JonesP. W. CashWillie Mae Ridgway
Brooks #3Charles SandersFred HatzellFrank RobardsHenry Breitenstein
Griffin #4R. C. HardestyWillie FosterCharles RogersT. J. Barrall
Cupio #5W. B. MerkerAda SamuelsR. A. MillerJoe Able
Salt River #6H. C. HamiltonT. D. McAllisterW. M. CombsMary Green Hardaway
Mt. Washington #7German BranhamTom LloydH. D. BruchJohn Walls
Mt. Washington #8W. T. ClosePete BleemelThomas OwenMrs. Ruth Parrish
Zoneton #9James PopeEd C. TylerJosh GoreC. C. Hackney
Cedar Grove #10Frank RatcliffS. A. SheltonWalter MannMrs. Henry Crenshaw
Leaches #11James McClureHite RouseJames LavelyR. J. Clark
Clermont #12Virgil DuvallEd VittitoeGeorge TaylorEd Hess
Lebanon Junction #13John HoaglandJ. L. KelleyT. H. RichardsonClarence Duvall
Lebanon Junction #14L. L. MasdenA. L. BowmanJohn FiggMrs. Lee Masden
Belmont #15Pete SnellenLevi RobyClarence HillWill Bradbury
Beech Grove #16Alvin ViersPres SheltonBeatrice ArmstrongJess Dawson
1940
Shepherdsville #1J. M. LarimoreFronia SamuelsJ. D. BuckmanWanda Adams
Shepherdsville #2E. G. QuickKatherine BealmearGeorge W. TaylorBlanch Howlett
Brooks #3Jasper FosterB. F. RobardsJames BeghtolMrs. Lee Hatzell
Knobs #4W. P. FosterT. J. BarrallRobert HardestyMrs. Essie Holsclaw
Cupio #5John MarcumJoe F. SamuelsRobert NicholsMrs. George Atkisson
Salt River #6George I. RennisonC. A. MasdenMrs. Ben CundiffMrs. Jesse Hardaway
Mt. Washington #7German BranhamMrs. Margaret GrigsbyHenry LutesMrs. Tom Parrish
Mt. Washington #8S. B. OwensS. O. ArmstrongJ. R. ProctorMrs. Mary Fisher
Zoneton #9Sam MoreheadRussell JenkinsJ. H. GilmoreMrs. Ella Pope
Cedar Grove #10Tom CloseK. F. BoltonElmer CundiffMrs. Wathen Viers
Leaches #11R. J. ClarkEd R. AsheEdgar CrenshawMrs. Hyte Rouse
Clermont #12Henry FearnbackJohn MorrisCharles StephanMrs. Chester Hill
Lebanon Junction #13Roy WiseMrs. Elmer BryantMrs. H. W. FiselMrs. Christine Boone
Lebanon Junction #14Andy MannMrs. Vina RobyA. D. MillerMrs Ethie Yeager
Belmont #15George BradburyRice DawsonFred GoodrichMrs. Alma Mudd
Beech Grove #16Otho CundiffFrank CundiffStanley DawsonMrs. Arthur Cundiff

The two videos available below demonstrate how to use the two voting machines used in Bullitt County.

eScan

eSlate


Copyright 2016 by Charles Hartley, Shepherdsville KY. All rights are reserved. No part of the content of this page may be included in any format in any place without the written permission of the copyright holder.


The Bullitt County History Museum, a service of the Bullitt County Genealogical Society, is located in the county courthouse at 300 South Buckman Street (Highway 61) in Shepherdsville, Kentucky. The museum, along with its research room, is open 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday. Saturday appointments are available by calling 502-921-0161 during our regular weekday hours. Admission is free. The museum, as part of the Bullitt County Genealogical Society, is a 501(c)3 tax exempt organization and is classified as a 509(a)2 public charity. Contributions and bequests are deductible under section 2055, 2106, or 2522 of the Internal Revenue Code. Page last modified: 13 Jan 2024 . Page URL: bullittcountyhistory.org/memories/precinct_workers.html