Kentucky Election Day Trivia

I hope everyone has the chance to get to the polls today to ensure that their voices are heard! In honor of today's Primary Elections, I thought we'd take a look at some Bluegrass State election trivia.

1. Under 1824, any Kentuckian who was found to have voted twice was assessed a $10 fine. 

Hatfield-McCoy Election Fight sign, Pike County.

2. In 1838, Kentucky became the first state to give women the right to vote in School Board elections. 

Josephine Henry, the first woman to campaign for a statewide office in Kentucky

3. After a highly contested election, Kentucky's governor, William Goebel, was fatally shot as he was taking the Oath of Office on January 30, 1900.

Governor William Goebel served a tragically brief term of office.

4. Kentucky lowered its voting age requirement from 20 to 18 in 1955, nearly twenty years before the right was afforded by the Twenty-Sixth Amendment.

Campaign poster for Kentucky's most famous candidate.

5. In 1983, Kentuckians elected Martha Layne Collins, the seventh woman to be governor of a U.S. State. 

Kentucky's fifty-sixth Governor, Martha Layne Collins

Now get out and vote, y'all!

Raising Ms. President Louisville Event

Raising Ms. President, the documentary by Kentucky native Kiley Lane Parker, is an inspiration to all of us here at HerKentucky. For me, it stirred up long-forgotten dreams of serving as a legislator or a lobbyist. For Sarah Stewart Holland, it was a call to action to begin her political candidacy. 

More important than our own reactions to Ms. Parker's film, however, is the message of getting girls involved in the political process. Whether or not they ultimately run for office, it's such an important message for young women to know that they can get involved. 

If you'll be in the Louisville area tomorrow night, I encourage you to attend the viewing of Raising Ms. President at the Brown Theatre. Following the film, Ms. Parker will lead a roundtable discussion, and you can learn more about the ways that Girl Scouts of Kentuckiana and Louisville Girls Leadership are preparing the young women of our communities to be the leaders of the next generation!

If you go:

Where: Brown Theatre, 315 W Broadway 
When: Tuesday, February 25, 2014 @ 7:00 PM
Price: All ages $15.00 || Student tickets $6.00 (not available online)

Running Time: Approximately 2 hours