State of Kentucky Elections & Voting

Election Day is November 8

October 11 Deadline to postmark mailed-in voter registrations
October 11 Deadline to complete voter registrations online or return in person
October 25 Deadline to request an absentee ballot via the online portal
October 26 First day of excused in-person absentee voting (must have reason to vote absentee)
November 2 Last day of excused in-person absentee voting (must have reason to vote absentee)
November 3 First day of no-excuse in-person absentee voting
November 5 Last day of no-excuse in-person absentee voting
November 8 Deadline for election authority to receive absentee ballots via mail
November 8 Election Day

To register to vote in Kentucky, you must:

Be a U.S. citizen and a Kentucky resident for at least 28 days before the election.
- Non-U.S. citizens, including U.S. nationals do not qualify
Be at least 18 years old by the next General Election
Not be a convicted felon (or, if convicted of a felony, your right to vote has been restored following an expungement, Executive Pardon, or Executive Order)
Not have been judged mentally incompetent in a court of law and have voting rights removed
Not claim the right to vote outside Kentucky

How to register to vote:

Online: Visit ky.gov. You may use a current Kentucky Driver’s License to help you complete an application online.
Mail: Print & submit a completed Voter Registration Application to your County Clerk’s Office.
In-person: Visit your County Clerk’s Officeto submit an application in person.

Voter ID Requirements

All voters must produce identification or be known by a precinct officer prior to voting. Acceptable types of ID are:

personal acquaintance of precinct officer
driver’s license
Social Security card
county issued identification card approved in writing by the State Board of Elections
S. government-issued identification card
Kentucky state government-issued identification card with picture
credit card
another form of ID containing both picture and signature

Voters who cannot present ID may cast provisional ballots in federal elections by signing a sworn affidavit in front of a voting precinct officer.

Absentee Voting by Mail

You may vote absentee by mail if you have one of the following reasons:

A resident of Kentucky who is a covered voter as defined in KRS 117A.010;
A student who temporarily resides outside the county of his or her residence;
Incarcerated in jail and charged with a crime, but has not been convicted of the crime;
Changing or has changed his or her place of residence to a different state while the registration books are closed in the new state of residence before an election of electors for President and Vice President of the United States, in which case the voter shall be permitted to cast a mail-in absentee ballot for electors for President and Vice President of the United States only;
Temporarily residing outside the state but still eligible to vote in this state;
Prevented from voting in person at the polls on election day and from casting an excused or no-excuse in-person absentee ballot on all days in-person absentee voting is conducted because he or she will be absent from the county of his or her residence all hours and all days excused or no-excuse in person absentee voting is conducted;
A participant in the Secretary of State’s crime victim address confidentiality protection program as authorized by KRS 14.312; or
Not able to appear at the polls on election day or the days excused or no-excuse in-person absentee voting is conducted on the account of age, disability, or illness, and who has not been declared mentally disabled by a court of competent jurisdiction.

Excused In-Person Absentee Voting

Is a resident of Kentucky who is a covered voter as defined in KRS 117A.010, who will be absent from the county of his or her residence on the day of an election and during the days of no-excuse in-person absentee voting;
Has surgery, or whose spouse has surgery, scheduled that will require hospitalization on the day of an election and during the days of no-excuse in-person absentee voting;
Temporarily resides outside the state, but is still eligible to vote in this state and will be absent from the county of his or her residence on the day of an election and during the days of no-excuse in-person absentee voting;
Is a resident of Kentucky who is a uniformed-service voter as defined in KRS 117A.010 confined to a military base on election day and during the days of no-excuse in-person absentee voting;
Is in her last trimester of pregnancy and the voter completes the form that is prescribed by the State Board of Elections, which contains a sworn statement that the voter is in her last trimester of pregnancy at the time she wishes to vote;
Has not been declared mentally disabled by a court of competent jurisdiction and, due to age, disability, or illness, is not able to appear at the polls on election day and during the days of no-excuse in-person absentee voting;
Is a student who temporarily resides outside the county of his or her residence and will be absent from the county of his or her residence on the day of an election and during the days of no-excuse in-person absentee voting;
Any person employed in an occupation that is scheduled to work during all days and all hours, which shall include commute time, the polls are open on election day and during the days of no-excuse in-person absentee voting; or
Any election officer tasked with election administration for the current election cycle.

Resources

Tribes in Kentucky

Federally recognized tribes

None

State recognized tribes

None

Native Vote Coordinators

Major Party Contact Information

Democrat
Chair, Sannie Overly
www.kydemocrat.com

Republican
Chairman, J. McCauley Brown
www.rpk.org