You probably thought the day would never arrive, but Tuesday is Election Day.
In Kentucky, not only will voters choose a president, they'll determine which political party controls the state House of Representatives (and perhaps the legislative agenda in Frankfort).
There's also a bitter U.S. Senate race, and in Louisville, Congress and half of the Metro Council seats are on the ballot, along with school board races. We'll have more coverage of those on Monday.
Kentucky Democrats have a lot to lose Tuesday. The state House is the last legislative chamber controlled by Democrats in any southern state. If Republicans can net four more seats, they’ll have power over the entire legislative process in Frankfort.
You can read some of our coverage of the battle over the Kentucky House here:
Kentucky Democrats, Republicans Pull Out All The Stops In Fight Over State House
McConnell: Ky. Needs GOP Control Of State House To Grow Economy
Will Donald Trump Help Republicans Win The State House?
Paul vs. Gray
In what began as a sleepy contest, the U.S. Senate race between Republican incumbent Rand Paul and Democratic challenger Jim Gray finally heated up at this year's Fancy Farm picnic.
Since then, the two men have lobbed attacks at one another -- largely via news releases and written statements. That is, until they finally came face-to-face for their only debate on Halloween night.
Gray accused Paul of having “wild-ass philosophies and theories.” And Paul repeatedly tried to link Gray to Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton and President Obama (both are unpopular in the Bluegrass State.)
A poll released early on Monday by Runswitch PR showed Paul with a 10-point lead in the race.
You can read our coverage of the Senate race here:
Senate Race In Focus, GOP In Spotlight At Fancy Farm Jim Gray Accuses Rand Paul Of ‘Wild-Ass’ Ideas In Debate Gray, Paul Scrap Over Coal Pensions Ahead Of First Debate In TV Ad, Gray Attacks Paul’s Foreign Policy Record Before you head out to vote, here's what you should know:
When and where can I vote?
Polls open at 6 a.m. local time and close at 6 p.m. You can find your polling place and check out sample ballots here.
And if you see any problems at the polls, we want to know about it! WFPL’s Kentucky Center for Investigative Reporting is one of several newsrooms across the country partnering with ProPublica for its Electionland project. Electionland aims to seek out and scrutinize any problems at the polls that prevent voters from participating in the 2016 election.
To learn how you can be involved, go here.
How long will I have to wait in line?
Kentucky Secretary of State Alison Lundergan Grimes estimates 60 percent of the state’s registered voters will cast ballots on Tuesday. Grimes said that’s on par with the turnout from the 2012 presidential election, when 59 percent of registered voters cast ballots. In 2008, the turnout was 64 percent.
Who am I voting for?
In addition to choosing a new president, elections are also scheduled for the U.S. Senate, U.S. House and state legislative seats. In Louisville, 13 of 26 Metro Council seats are up for election, as well as school board seats.
When will I know who won?
We'll be live on 89.3 WFPL beginning at 7 p.m. -- that's when polls close in Western Kentucky and when statewide results start rolling in. We’ll also have coverage throughout the evening at wfpl.org.
