Kentucky's governor election had the state's highest voter turnout since 1995, data shows

Billy Kobin | Courier Journal

Kentucky officials reported a higher-than-expected voter turnout in Tuesday's statewide elections that ended dramatically with Democratic candidate Andy Beshear declaring victory over incumbent Republican Gov. Matt Bevin, who has not conceded.

The Secretary of State's Office said 1,455,161 voters — or 42.16% of the Bluegrass State's 3,451,537 registered voters — cast ballots in Tuesday's election.

That's better than the 31% turnout rate that Secretary of State Alison Lundergan Grimes predicted ahead of the election and higher than the 30.7% of voters who turned out when Bevin was elected governor in 2015.

It is also the highest turnout rate for a Kentucky gubernatorial election since 1995, according to figures from the Secretary of State's Office.

In 1995, 44.4% of registered voters participated in the race that saw Democratic nominee Paul Patton defeat Republican Larry Forgy, according to state data.

Bevin, who trailed Beshear by 5,189 votes with 100% of precincts reporting across the state, told supporters late Tuesday that "we are not conceding this race by any stretch."

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On Wednesday, the Bevin campaign formally requested an official recanvass of the election results, citing unspecified "reports of voting irregularities."

But Beshear has claimed victory.

And Grimes told The Courier Journal her office has called the race for Beshear and that Bevin should "honor" the election results.

To complicate matters even further, Republican Senate President Robert Stivers told reporters Tuesday night that a joint session of the Kentucky General Assembly may eventually decide the winner, citing a provision in the state constitution that hasn't been used in 120 years.

Under state law, Bevin has 30 days to formally contest the outcome once it is certified by the State Board of Elections.

Candidates typically ask for a recanvass of voting machines and a recount first.

The last contested governor's race was the 1899 election of Democrat William Goebel.

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While Democrats have claimed the edge in the top-of-the-ballot race for governor, Republicans enjoyed a sweep Tuesday in the other statewide races for attorney general, secretary of state, auditor, treasurer and agriculture commissioner.

According to the Secretary of State's Office, Beshear and running mate Jacqueline Coleman took home 709,577 votes, or 49.19%, while the GOP ticket of Bevin and Ralph Alvarado garnered 704,388 votes, or 48.83%.

The Libertarian Party ticket of John Hicks and running mate Ann Cormican received nearly 2% of the votes in Tuesday's election, with 28,425 votes.

In Jefferson County, the commonwealth's most populous, unofficial results from the Secretary of State's Office show Beshear received nearly 100,000 more votes than Bevin, with 186,510 ballots or about 67% of the vote going to the Democrat.

State data showed 279,411 voters in Louisville and Jefferson County participated in Tuesday's election, resulting in a 45.72% turnout rate.

Related: A recount in the Kentucky governor's race would be uncharted territory

Reach Billy Kobin at bkobin@courierjournal.com or 502-582-7030. Support strong local journalism by subscribing today: courier-journal.com/subscribe.