The 2019 November general election is now less than five weeks away and early voting has now begun for individuals who cannot make it to the polls on election day.

Mail-in absentee ballots can now be requested from the Clinton County Clerk’s office.

Persons voting absentee include those individual voters who cannot be at a polling place on election day due to medical reasons, military deployment or other circumstances.

Absentee ballots must be filled out and returned to the clerk’s office by the close of business on election day to be counted.

Walk-in absentee voting on the machine set up in the county clerk’s office will begin on Monday, October 21 and run through 4 p.m. local time Monday, November 4, the day prior to the Tuesday, November 5 general election.

This year’s race will see all state offices, from Governor/Lt. Governor on down, elected for four year terms and the turnout in Clinton County and the state is likely to be moderate, due primarily to a heated gubernatorial race that pits Republican incumbent Matt Bevin, who is being supported by President Donald Trump, against Democrat challenger Andy Beshear, current state Attorney General and son of former Kentucky Governor Steve Beshear.

There will be at least one local contested race on the ballot in Clinton County, that of a special school board race in District Three.

In that race, incumbent Leslie Stockton, who was appointed by the Kentucky Department of Education to fill the vacant seat left by the resignation of Paula Key, is being challenged by Bobby R. Reneau, who filed in August as a write-in candidate.

One other school board special race in District Two still only has one candidate. Incumbent Sue Irwin was appointed to fill the vacancy left by Jeff Sams, who moved outside the county prior to his term being up.

The winners of those board seats this year will run for regular four-year terms in 2020.

District Three is comprised of Speck, Highway and Illwill, while District Two is made up of the Seventy Six and Neathery-Cave Springs precincts.

The deadline to file as a write-in candidate in this year’s general election is October 25.

A complete absentee ballot, precinct officers and other election information will be published in a later issue.

For more information about absentee voting or the election in general, contact the local county clerk’s office at 387-5943.