LIVE: LGBTQ+ Election Coverage with Queer Kentucky, Queer News Network

Well, y’all, the day is finally here: It is Election Day 2024. 

Queer Kentucky, alongside the Queer News Network, will be tracking the results and how they could impact you throughout the day and night. 

Here’s a rundown of what’s going on and what you need to know.

1:20 a.m.: Yes, we’re still awake

Almost all of Kentucky’s votes are counted, yay. It is getting late, so here’s a quick highlight reel of the night thus far. If something big happens after this post, I am basically nocturnal, so I’ll jump on here to update y’all. But, for now, the highlight reel:

• Amendment 2 failed in dramatic fashion.
• Amendment 1 passed easily despite literally no one advocating for or against it. (Who needs to spend millions on ad campaigns, anyway?)
• Big night for LGBTQ+ politicians! Rep. Keturah Herron officially became the first openly LGBTQ+ person to be elected to Kentucky’s state Senate, and Emma Curtis became the first openly transgender member of the Lexington city council.
• It is looking like the political balance of Kentucky’s legislature will stay the same: overwhelmingly Republican. One Dem may have lost their race (House Dem Caucus Chair Cherlynn Stevenson, but it hasn’t formally been called), but another appears to have won his (Adam Moore flipping GOP Rep. Killian Timoney’s seat blue).
• There were several Louisville-area seats that maybe could’ve flipped one way or another, especially in the suburbs. Nothing flipped, though, although there will be a few new faces (see the 11:40 p.m. entry).

11:40 p.m.: OK, Louisville, your turn!

With all of Jefferson County’s votes in, let’s take a quick look at how the key state legislature races played out.

Spoiler: Despite some rumblings that some of Louisville’s state House seats would flip to the GOP or the Dems, it looks like … not much changed.

Several of the 18 state House seats with some part in Jefferson County were unopposed, and all of the incumbents who were running appeared to score another term.

But since a few folks are leaving office, we’ll have a few new faces representing Louisville in the 2025 session:

• GOP Rep. Kevin Bratcher is switching to Louisville’s Metro Council, and Republican Chris Lewis won his soon-to-be former seat, so this seat will stay red.
• Democratic Rep. Josie Raymond also is aiming for Metro Council, and she’ll be replaced by former state Rep. Mary Lou Marzian, who is also a Dem. Marzian took some time off after redistricting tried to match her up with Raymond, but now she’s so back and won 74% of the vote in her district.
• Rep. Keturah Herron is heading to the state Senate, so her seat will be taken by fellow Dem Josh Watkins.

10:26 p.m.: So, Lexington, what’s poppin’?

My eyes are on Lexington right now as some of my top races to watch are super close. (And another just got called.) 

First up is House Democratic Caucus Chair Rep. Cherlynn Stevenson, who is behind her Republican challenger Vanessa Grossl by a few dozen votes. 

I would say something about the GOP potentially flipping that seat but … the Dems might have just picked up a different seat in the area to make things even. Democrat Adam Moore appears to have won over his Republican challenger Thomas Jefferson (yes, real name, not lying) to take over GOP Rep. Killian Timoney’s current seat. Margin? Around 150 votes. 

And then, at the city council level, Emma Curtis just became the first openly transgender city council member in Lexington! Woo!

10:13 p.m.: Amendment 1 passes

Non-citizens can’t vote in Kentucky elections after Amendment 1 passed Tuesday night. So, like, this already wasn’t a thing, but … now the Kentucky Constitution will explicitly say that.

8:55 p.m.: Kentuckians to “school choice:” thank u next

It is official: Amendment 2 has FAILED, according to the AP.

8:40 p.m.: OK, yeah, so definitely Amendment Who

Now with almost 60% of the vote in, Amendment 2 — the “school choice” amendment — is for sure going to fail.

And don’t take it from me; take it from Kentucky Students First, the main Kentucky-based group backing the measure, which basically conceded the race right before 8:30 p.m. (You can’t really concede from a constitutional amendment fight, but you get the idea.) 

“Perpetuating the low performance of Kentucky’s education system is a disservice to our children and our Commonwealth,” the group wrote in a statement. “Kentucky students deserve better, and our resolve to serve students over systems remains unchanged.” 

7:55 p.m.: Amendment 2? More like Amendment who? 

We’re still early in this beautiful evening, but it looks like Kentucky’s “school choice” amendment is going to fail. 

LEX18, a Lexington TV station known for calling races and typically getting it right, called the Amendment 2 race for the opponents — Kentuckians overwhelmingly rejected the idea of public dollars going to private schools. 

We have about 35% of the vote in and it is looking like this:

• Against: 64.1%
• For: 35.9%

And it has kinda looked like that all night. 

Typically, I wait for the AP to formally call a race, but y’all, this margin is massive and this education-turned-politics reporter who spent years covering school choice in Kentucky doesn’t see how the supporters can rebound.

7:20 p.m.: Trump wins Kentucky (shocker)

Alright, y’all, the fun is (slowly) starting to begin on Election Night. All polls in Kentucky are now closed, and we’re starting to see some of the first results.

Big caveat here: The night is still young, and a lot of the early numbers are from absentee voters. A lot can still change, so while I’ll give you some hot takes about the current results, please know they may become wrong very quickly. 

One thing we know basically for sure: Former President Donald Trump has won Kentucky. Shocker, I know, I know. While Kentucky has a Democratic governor, it is still considered a red state. So much so the AP — which is the gold standard for election-calling — called it for Trump within, maybe, 10 minutes of the last polls closing. So, yeah.

6:15 p.m.: Louisville polls closed at 6 p.m. after judge’s ruling

After widespread tech issues caused delays at polls across Louisville, a judge has ruled that Jefferson County voters will not get extra time to cast their ballots.

The Kentucky Democrats and later the ACLU of Kentucky filed an emergency motion to keep polling locations open until 8 p.m. due to the unexpected delays, but the judge rejected their request around 5:30 p.m. — giving voters mere minutes to sprint to the polls.

The Republican Party of Kentucky opposed the effort, telling the judge only the GOP-dominated legislature has the power to extend voting hours.

Polls closed at 6 p.m. local time, so western Kentucky friends, you still have time! Remember: As long as you’re line by the time polls close, you will be allowed to vote.

2:50 p.m.: Louisville polls might be open later

Some are trying to extend voting hours in Louisville after widespread tech issues caused lengthy standstill lines across Jefferson County right as polls opened this morning. 

The Kentucky Democrats said early Tuesday afternoon they filed a motion requesting Jefferson County polls stay open until 8 p.m. Eastern tonight to give folks who didn’t get a chance to vote more time to cast their ballots. 

“After receiving numerous reports of technical issues causing severe delays and infringing on Kentuckians’ constitutional right to vote, we immediately filed a motion to request that the Jefferson County Clerk’s Office extend polling hours until 8 p.m. ET,” KDP Executive Director Morgan Eaves said in a statement. 

“We will use all legal means necessary to ensure that every single Kentuckian eligible to vote has the ability to do so,” she continued.

The Jefferson County Clerk’s office, which oversees local elections, previously said it would not extend voting hours after Mayor Craig Greenberg requested it. It is unclear when the Dems’ motion will be decided on.

Polls are typically open from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. local time in Kentucky. Almost immediately after polls opened, tech issues began at precincts across Louisville, causing lines at several spots that typically do not have lines on Election Day. 

What to know for Election Day (and night)

Please go vote, y’all

Early voting in Kentucky is obviously over, but you can still — and should — vote Tuesday.

• Polls are open from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. local time in Kentucky.
• If you are in line by 6 p.m., they have to let you vote. So, stay in line.
• Not sure where you’re supposed to go? Go here, enter your information and it will tell you where your polling location is.
• Make sure you look up your sample ballot ahead of time so you know what you’ll be voting on and can educate yourself on the races and issues. Need some help? Queer Kentucky’s Election Toolkit is a great place to start.
• There were some long lines for early voting, so think smart — some folks who voted early recommended dressing in layers; maybe bringing an umbrella and perhaps a snack or refreshment.

Things to watch for on Election Night

What matters most to you on Election Night, of course, depends on you and where you live, but here are a few Kentucky-level things to keep an eye on:

• The constitutional amendments: Kentucky has two proposed constitutional amendments on the ballot: Amendment 1 would make it illegal for noncitizens to vote and Amendment 2 would let public tax dollars go to private schools. The latter is easily one of the most controversial things on the ballot in Kentucky this year, and the battle already broke a record for being the most expensive amendment race in the state’s history.

• • A handful of state Senate races: Half of Kentucky’s 38 state Senate seats are up for election this year, and of those, only about a half-dozen are contested races. One key race to watch is the Eastern Kentucky battle of nearly a dozen write-in candidates to replace late Sen. Johnnie Turner, who died a few weeks ago. 
  • State House races: All 100 of Kentucky’s House seats are up for grabs, with just under half facing contested races Tuesday. Watch for what happens in your home district, and watch for news that a seat or two flipped from a Republican to Democrat — or vice versa. (It is unlikely the power dynamic in the House will change much, though — it is currently 80% Republican.)
  • Medical marijuana: Depending on where you live, you might have a ballot question asking whether or not you think medical marijuana businesses should be able to open near you. This will be a hyperlocal decision, so pay attention to your local news outlets for updates here.

How to track election results

Want to follow along as results come in Tuesday night? Here are a few suggestions for Kentucky folks:

• • X: Several journalists, both local and national, will have live tweet threads going, providing results in real-time and extra context to help make sense of them. Many will also be sharing links to stories for more in-depth looks at the races. Check your favorite political reporters’ accounts to see if they’re tweeting. Some may also be active on Threads, so you might want to check there, too.
  • Kentucky’s Secretary of State: For folks looking for an official government source, the Secretary of State’s office will have live election results from across Kentucky, plus a few graphics as visual aids, on its website.
  • Queer Kentucky + Queer News Network: While Queer Kentucky’s coverage will focus on Kentucky, QNN’s website will have updates from across the country and a handy map showing the results as they come in.
  • Your favorite news outlet’s website: Obvs, a whole lot of news outlets will be covering the elections and most will have some form of visual graphics to help you understand the results. Try to find a few near you to toggle between — outlets tend to get info at slightly different times or have different schedules for updating their graphics. Having a handful of go-tos will help you get a larger sense of what’s going on.

• KET: KET is scheduled to start its live coverage of Kentucky’s election results at 8 p.m. Eastern. Host Renee Shaw is typically joined by a handful of veteran politicos to track the results and provide smart analysis.

Where to find Queer Kentucky on Election Night

We’re really excited to be partnering with the Queer News Network for election coverage this year. You’ll be able to find our coverage both here and there.

As for here, we’re planning on having live updates throughout the day about what y’all are seeing, hearing and experiencing at the polls, plus, of course, election results throughout the night. We’ll also be writing a handful of more in-depth stories as the news cycle demands. 

On top of that, make sure you check out our Instagram for live updates.