KENTUCKY — Election day has come and gone, but many Americans are still uneasy, and some might be confused about what happens next.

University of Kentucky political science professor Stephen Voss says it's important to remember that the Electoral College makes the final votes on Dec. 14.

"The electors have pledged to either vote for Joe Biden or Donald Trump, but in many states they’re not actually required to vote that way when the time comes," Voss explains.

A lot of the major races were called within hours of polls closing, even with Kentucky's election operating drastically different than ever before due to the coronavirus.

Donald Trump swept Republican-leaning Kentucky by a landslide. The president won in all but two counties, the state's biggest: Jefferson and Fayette. Trump took the state's eight electoral votes.

U.S. Senate

  • Another big Republican victory as Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell won with a wide lead over Amy McGrath to earn a 7th term in the senate. In his victory speech, he said, "I work for middle America." McConnell is the longest-serving Republican leader in Senate history.

U.S. Congressional Races

  • In the state’s most anticipated U.S. House race, Republican Andy Barr defeated Democrat challenger Josh Hicks in the central Kentucky district that includes Lexington, the state’s second-largest city. The district has swung between Republicans and Democrats for decades.
  • Democratic U.S. Rep. John Yarmuth defeated Republican challenger Rhonda Palazzo, winning reelection in the Kentucky congressional district that includes most of the Louisville metropolitan area.

Constitutional Amendments

  • One passed, one failed. Marsy's Law, which addresses victim's rights, passed in Kentucky. It was also approved by voters in 2018, but was overturned by the state's supreme court.
  • Voters did not approve an amendment that called for longer terms for judges. Critics worried it would be too long to hold people accountable.

Related Stories