OWENSBORO, Ky.  -- The Owensboro Sports Center will not be used as a voting site this year. 


What You Need To Know

  • The sports center has previously served as a voting location for a neighborhood that has one of the highest concentrations of poverty in the city

  • This leaves the nearest voting location, Third Baptist Church, 1.4 miles away

  • The city of Owensboro, Girls Incorporated, the local Democratic party, and the Green River Intra-county Transit System (GRITS) are offering free bus rides on election day to increase voting access

  • Free rides will run from 6 a.m. until 7:35 p.m.

The sports center has previously served as a voting location for a neighborhood that has one of the highest concentrations of poverty in the city. It’s also home to a high rise for seniors and residents living with disabilities. This leaves the nearest voting location, Third Baptist Church, 1.4 miles away. 

“Also part of the reason, we were told by previous management that it would not be available,” Leslie McCarty, the Daviess county clerk, said. In addition to the space already booked for another event, the rent for the location was higher than McCarty would like the city of Owensboro to pay

“As someone who is an elected official, it is my responsibility to be a good steward of taxpayer funds,” McCarty said. 

However, there still is some concern about this year’s voting access. “If you’re disabled, and it is a chore to get on public transportation, it really does discourage people from expressing their right to vote,” Rhondalyn Randolph, the president of the Owensboro NAACP, said. 

Randolph also says that some may have to choose between going to work and voting. “We want there to be a balance so everyone has that accessibility that makes it easier for them to vote,” Randolph said. 

The Executive Director of the Public Life Foundation in Owensboro says that though the act was legal, it was insensitive to the population. “It’s important that every voice be heard, particularly in the democratic process,” Joe Berry, the executive director of Public Life Foundation, said. 

Berry hopes that this problem will spark some conversations. 

“Have a dialogue with the community moving forward about why decisions are made the way they are, in an open and transparent way,” Berry said. 

The city of Owensboro, Girls Incorporated, the local Democratic party, and the Green River Intra-county Transit System (GRITS) are offering free bus rides on election day to increase voting access. Free rides will run from 6 a.m. until 7:35 p.m. The bus routes will not change for election day. 

“The concerns that we voiced were listened to. I think that I very much appreciate their willingness to dialogue with us and to act quickly,” Berry said. 

McCarty says she reserved the Sports Center for the next five years, hoping to prevent this issue in the future.

For a list of all 12 voting sites in Daviess County please click here