It’s the final bell at Mount Washington Elementary School on a Monday afternoon. Students line up in what they call “The Great Hall,” where two main classroom hallways intersect with the gym and the library.
It’s also a space Bullitt County may need for voting.
In the midst of the daily chaos that comes with small children queuing for the bus, Bullitt County Schools head of operations Troy Wood demonstrates how voters would navigate the area.
“They’d roll through these double doors, walk through this main lobby area and access the gymnasium that way,” Wood said, spinning around and pointing out each intersection. “We'd have to shut off these two main hallways if students were on site.”
Wood says just one police officer would be available to stand in the hallway, separating kids from the general public. The district was advised that would violate state school safety laws. In 2022, a miscommunication between the schools and the clerk left schools unguarded during voting.
So Bullitt County schools said no to early voting.
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Without the school district’s permission, Mooney seemed unable to use the schools for early voting. Then something changed.
Bullitt County Superintendent Bacon said it was on June 28 of this year when he received a letter in the mail from Mooney. It notified the school district of the new state law that gives county clerks the authority to designate any public building as an early voting location. It also announced the clerk’s intention to use some schools for early voting.
Back at the school, operations director Wood said they’re frustrated by that.
“As the law changed, the law said he could commandeer our schools, if so desired,” Wood said. “So that’s what they went by.”
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