by Jenna Nicodemus
Yesterday was Election Day. Though some states will still be counting their ballots for days to come, the bulk of Kentucky’s election results have come in. Here’s an overview of what happened last night in the state of Kentucky.
The Kentucky ballot had voters consider 2 amendments to the Kentucky Constitution. Amendment 1 proposed a revision of language that would forbid noncitizens from voting in Kentucky. Amendment 2 proposed the possibility of the state spending tax dollars on non-public educational institutions, such as private schools or charter schools; this amendment was broadly considered the “big” one of the two, having major implications for the Kentucky educational system if passed.
Amendment 1 passed with 62.4% of voters agreeing, and 37.6% disagreeing.
Amendment 2 failed to pass, with 64.8% of voters disagreeing and 35.2% agreeing.
Kentucky also held a vote for seats in the House of Representatives, although two seats ran uncontested. 5 of the 6 seats remained Republican; 1 seat remained Democrat, belonging to the 3rd district.
Kentucky also held votes for some districts of the State Senate, wherein all elected officials were Republican, with the exception of the 37th district, which was Democrat. Overall, there are 30 Republicans and 7 Democrats in the State Senate of Kentucky.
Similarly, Kentucky held votes for districts of the State House, wherein all elected officials were Republican with the exception of 5 Democratic districts. Overall, there are 78 Republicans and 17 Democrats in the State House of Kentucky.
Elections were also held for the Urban County Council and Fayette Board of Education. Some districts of the Commonwealth’s Attorney were also up for election, in which all elected officials were Republican. Several counties and cities also voted on the legalization of the sale of medical cannabis, with all assenting in majority as of Wednesday morning.
Kentucky, as a member of the United States, also participated in the presidential election of the United States. Overall, 64.6% of Kentucky votes were in favor of Donald Trump; 33.9% were in favor of Kamala Harris. 0.8% were in favor of the Independent candidate Robert Kennedy; 0.4% were in favor of the Green Party candidate Jill Stein; and 0.3% were in favor of Chase Oliver, the Libertarian candidate. Less than 0.1% of votes were in favor of the Independent candidate, Shiva Ayyadurai.
Most counties in Kentucky were red last night, voting well over majority for Donald Trump and other Republican candidates up for election in the Kentucky legislature. Two counties, Jefferson County and Fayette County (which house major cities Louisville and Lexington), were blue.
Overall, the partisan balance of Kentucky’s legislature remains unchanged from these election results, with Republicans continuing to remain in the supermajority both in the State Senate and the State House. Kentucky continues to remain a primarily red state with the exception of Jefferson and Fayette Counties, a historically expected pattern. Meanwhile, while Amendment 1 to the Kentucky constitution passed, Amendment 2 was struck down, resulting in essentially zero change to the Kentucky constitution. However, in other news, some counties and cities will now allow the sale of medical cannabis.
President Trump and his Vice President J.D. Vance will serve for a term of 4 years before another presidential election is held.
(Statistics sourced from The Associated Press (AP).)