4 General Election 2018 By: Jordan Kelch, Public Relations After a long season of political ads, yard signs, public forums and policy discussions, the 2018 Kentucky General Election has come to a close. Tuesday, November 6th - a day marked with beautiful weather and healthy voter turnout - successfully defined who will lead our county, and our state, into the next 4 years. The election professionals of the Jef- ferson County Clerk’s Office had a busy day, ensuring that all 232 polling loca- tions and 623 precincts were operating smoothly. The third floor of the Edison Center buzzed with ringing telephones and conversation; media was present throughout the day, keeping tabs on turnout predictions and observing the many election day procedures taking place at headquarters. For the second election in a row, the Jefferson County Clerk’s Office utilized new voting equipment purchased through ES&S (Election Systems & Soft- ware). Every polling place featured a DS200 ballot box as well as the touch- screen ExpressVote. With advanced security measures and increased efficiency, the new furnishings made for a safer election and a smoother voting experience. With over 769 ballot styles, Jefferson County residents saw an array of candi- date choices; depending on the voter’s neighborhood, specific Metro Council races and small city races may have accompanied the traditional ballot fea- turing Mayor, Sheriff, County Attorney, County Clerk, and Property Valuation Administrator. In the end, 291,591 voters of the possible 598,335 registered in Jef- ferson County made it to the polls, casting ballots for the candidates of their choice. Voter turnout was marked at 47.8%, a slight uptick from midterm elections of the past. Now, as the year comes to an end, the employees of the Jefferson County Election Center turn their sites to a new election – the May 2019 Primary.