LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Republican voters in Kentucky are howling about the state party’s decision to move from a primary election to an early presidential caucus, saying the decision hasn’t been publicized enough and that some of their attempts to register to vote absentee have been bungled by the party.
The party’s Facebook page is replete with people criticizing the party and U.S. Sen. Rand Paul, who pushed for the change to facilitate his simultaneous runs for re-election and for president.
“There are so many uninformed Republicans! The Republican Party of KY has done a poor job of informing its voters of this change! Timely mail should have been sent to clarify the changes,” wrote Jamie Michelle Amburgey, a Whitley County teacher.
“Didn't care for Rand Paul before and now even less!!!” wrote Judy Mills Allen.
“This caucus crap is all on Rand Paul, hope someone beats him out in the election for Senate!!” wrote Gleason Malicote.
Kelsey Cooper, a spokeswoman for Paul, who dropped out of the presidential race in early February, said that Saturday’s caucus has actually increased voters ability to make a difference because Kentucky's late-May primary has typically been held after the nominee has wrapped up the delegates needed.
"Every Kentuckian who votes in the caucus is a voter who is having their voice matter in a presidential election for the very first time,” she said. “A May primary previously ensured that Kentucky didn't matter in the process. With the caucus, candidates are competing and Kentuckians' votes count."
Those who were registered as Republicans in Kentucky prior to Dec. 31 can vote in the caucus. Requests for absentee ballots had to be in by Feb. 19.
Pamela Beal said she didn’t even know about the caucus because her husband is a sergeant in the Army stationed at Fort Stewart, Ga., where they live temporarily. Their permanent home is in Kentucky, where they vote.
When she recently ran across a story online saying that Kentucky’s caucus was coming up, she said she tried to obtain an absentee ballot but was told by someone at GOP headquarters that she had missed the Feb. 19 absentee deadline by three days. She blames the party for not sending mailers to voters informing them of the election and where to vote.
“We weren’t told anything,” she said in an interview. “Now, neither me or my husband are going to be able to vote. ... They said we could come home to cast our ballots, but we’re not going to do that.”
For some members of the Kentucky GOP, the caucus will be an exercise in disenfranchisement rather than an exercise in democracy.
Paul wanted the caucus because he wanted to get around a law that prohibits candidates from appearing on the ballot more than once in most situations.
Party officials also hoped candidates would come to the state and make Kentucky a player in the 2016 election — since the election would be earlier and come before one candidate scooped up enough delegates to win the nomination.
But only one candidate who is still contesting the election — front-runner Donald Trump — made it to the state. None of the candidates ran television ads here.
Laurel County resident Gina Bruner Deaton said the situation is maddening because she faxed a request for her husband to get a ballot one day before the deadline. “We’ve still not received an absentee ballot,” she said on Thursday, one day before the deadline for returning the ballot.
“We called Republican headquarters and all they would tell is that all the absentee ballots have been mailed out. They’ve basically been no help,” said Deaton, who added that she and her husband vote in every election but that he has to work on Saturday and can’t be at the caucus between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m.
Others complained that phone calls to state and Jefferson County Republican Party headquarters weren't answered.
"It seems like it's keeping many people from their responsibility and their duty to vote," said Charmaine Woods of Jefferson County.
Jim Stansbury, chairman of the Jefferson County Republican Party, said his headquarters office has been manned for the past two weeks and has gotten a steady stream of voters calling with questions about the caucus.
He said he has heard of issues with absentee voters but didn't know how widespread the problem might be. The biggest concern he has heard is people either not having access to a computer or not being able to find their voting location because they are not inputting their names or addresses exactly as they are entered into the secretary of state's database.
"We're not as technically advanced as I thought we were," said Stansbury, adding that most of the people calling with problems are over age 60.
Mike Biagi, executive director of the party, has defended the party’s decision not to mail reminders to voters in the state, which would have cost an estimated $475,000. He didn't return numerous phone calls and text messages from The Courier-Journal seeking comment for this story.
Woods said she wishes the party would never have agreed to the caucus and that while she plans to go vote, she will do so grudgingly.
"I like Rand Paul but I'm not happy about this at all," she said.
