Kentucky

The deadline to cure (correct) your absentee/mail ballot is by the close of polls (6pm) on Election Day, November 5, 2024. If there is signature mismatch between your signature of record and your ballot, your county election officials will make a reasonable effort to contact you and provide notice to the voter with a timeframe and instructions on how to cure the signature issue. You can track the status of your absentee/mail ballot using your state’s online tool. If you voted a provisional ballot, you can check the status of your ballot using your state’s online tool. 

For information on federal campaign contributions, please visit Open Secrets.

For information on state campaign contributions, please visit your state's resource.

Information on local, state and federal candidates and ballot measures may be available here.

Kentucky voters are now able to cast their absentee ballots by mail or a ballot drop-box. There is at least one drop-box per county.  You can find your drop box location here or contact your local Elections Official.

Regular Early Voting

All registered Kentucky voters who have not requested a mail-in absentee ballot can vote early in-person without an excuse. State law calls this a “no-excuse in-person absentee ballot.”

When: The Thursday, Friday, and Saturday before Election Day. At least eight hours between 6 am and 8 pm each day, with the county board of elections choosing the exact times.

Where: Your county clerk's office or a place chosen by your county
board of elections.

OR

Excused in-person absentee:

Who: Registered Kentucky voters can vote extra early if they have one of the excuses listed here and cannot vote early or on Election Day.

When: The six business days before early voting times during normal business hours.

Where: Your county clerk's office or a place chosen by your county board of elections. Contact your county board of elections for more location details.

Registered Kentucky voters can vote extra early if they have one of the excuses below and cannot vote early or on Election Day:

• Is a resident of Kentucky who will be absent from the county of their 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 lives outside the state, but is still eligible to vote in Kentucky and will be absent from the county of their 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 confined to a military base on Election Day and during the days of no-excuse in-person absentee voting
• Is in the last trimester of pregnancy - no documentation required
• 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
• 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
• Any election officer tasked with election administration for the current election cycle.

Find polling locations and times here: https://elect.ky.gov/Voters/Pages/Polling-Locations.aspx or contact your county clerk for additional information about voting locations and times.

The next election date can be found here https://www.vote411.org/kentucky or using your state's Election Calendar.

Contact your state Board of Election or local Elections Official for more information.

To be eligible to vote you must be:

• A U.S. citizen
• A resident of Kentucky for 28 days before the election
• At least 18 years old by the date of the general election
• Not convicted of a felony (or, if so, have had your civil rights restored)
• Not judged mentally incompetent in a court of law
• Not claiming the right to vote anywhere outside Kentucky

Incarcerated Voters & Returning Citizens: 

In Kentucky, you lose eligibility to vote if you have been convicted of a crime (felony or misdemeanor). For a misdemeanor conviction, you only lose your rights while you are incarcerated. If you have been convicted of a Kentucky state felony, your voting rights will be restored after you have completed your parole and probation as long as it was not a violent felony. Those convicted of violent felonies may still petition the governor to have their rights restored if they have completed their sentence and do not owe fines or restitution. 

Voters without traditional residence: 

It is not mandatory for citizens to possess a "permanent home" for voter registration. A citizen can provide an alternative description of their residence, even if they are experiencing homelessness, as long as it enables the authorities to identify and assign a voting precinct to them. This precinct assignment ensures that the voter receives the appropriate ballot. The mailing address on their registration form can be a P.O. box, local shelter, advocacy organization, outreach center, or the home of someone who will accept mail for them. 

When you register to vote online, you are required to enter you Social Security Number and Date of Birth in order to proceed. The portal confirms your ID by matching with Driver’s License records. 

Free ID
The state will make you a free ID card. You get it where you can get a driver’s license, and drive.ky.gov is where you can find the nearest state office for that.

If you do not have (or do not want to provide) a Social Security Number, you can still register in person at your county clerk office or by mail, but you must provide your date of birth and signature. 

Kentucky now has a photo ID law for voting. To vote in Kentucky, you must bring identification showing your name and photograph from one of these sources:

•  Kentucky state government (example: driver’s license)
•  United States government (example: passport)
•  U. S. Defense Department, a uniformed services branch, the Merchant Marine, or the Kentucky National Guard
• U.S. college, university, or postgraduate technical or professional school
• Kentucky local government: city, county, urban-county, charter county, unified local or consolidated local government

The most common form of a valid photo ID is your driver’s license. Other examples of acceptable ID (as long as they include your name and photo) are:  

• Military ID  
• College ID  
• Kentucky government ID 
• Passport

A voter’s identity can still be confirmed by personal acquaintance with an election official, but now the election official must sign an affirmation.

Free ID
The state will make you a free ID card. You get it where you can get a driver’s license, and drive.ky.gov is where you can find the nearest state office for that.

Affirmation when you go to vote

At your polling place, you can fill out a form explaining why you cannot get an allowed photo ID. You will need to show one of these other IDs:

➔ Another identification card with your name and photo
➔ Social Security card
➔ Kentucky food stamp, EBT, or SNAP card with your name
➔ Credit or debit card with your name
➔ Identification issued by a Kentucky county and approved by the State Board
of Elections

The KY Board of Elections offers a short video summarizing accepted Voter ID options.

Voters can call or text 844-338-8743 at any time to reach VoteRiders Voter ID Helpline

Contact your state Board of Elections or local Elections Official for more information.

Official results are never available on Election Day. Election officials are working around the clock to count an unprecedented number of ballots, and it’s essential that they take the time to make sure every vote is counted.

The earliest official election results for the state of Kentucky will be posted here. A record of past election results can be found here.

You are a Military or Overseas voter if you are in uniformed services, living overseas OR a spouse or dependent of a uniformed services voter. To get registered and vote, you can utilize Overseas Vote Foundation.

Kentucky Remote Ballot Access System https://kentucky.enhancedballot.com/kentucky

If you have additional questions about elections and voting overseas you can use our state specific elections official directory or contact the Overseas Vote Foundation.

You can make sure we have safe, fair, and efficient elections for all. Become a poll worker today!

In order to be a poll worker in Kentucky, you must:

• Be registered to vote in Kentucky
• Be at least 18 years of age
• Be entitled to compensation
• Political affiliation generally required. You cannot change your part affiliation for one year prior to your appointment as precinct officer.
• Be a resident of the precinct
• Complete required training
• Each precinct allows one minor who is 17 years old to work. All minors who will turn 18 on the day or before the election may serve as an election officer
• Not be a candidate during that election year or be related to a candidate in the precinct

To learn more or apply to serve as a poll worker in your county for Kentucky, go here. And also contact your local Elections Official.

Voting hours on Election Day will be from 6:00 am to 6:00 pm. For the three days of early voting, (Thurs, Fri, Sat) before Election Day, find hours here. or contact your local Elections Official.

For Election Day voting places, ask at your county clerk’s office or visit elect.ky.gov and choose “Find Your Polling Location”

You can find your election-day polling place here: https://elect.ky.gov/Voters/Pages/Polling-Locations.aspx

Voting locations may have changed due to:

• Precinct boundaries being updated
• Precinct consolidations that allow voters from multiple precincts to share a location
• Voting centers that allow voters from all precincts in the county to vote in the same place (or several places)

For Election Day or Early in-person voting places, ask at your county clerk’s office or visit GoVote.ky.gov and choose “Polling Locations”

Kentucky is a “closed primary” state. In order to vote in the primary election, voters must be registered with a political party. Unaffiliated or independent voters are not able to participate in the primary except when there are more than two candidates for a nonpartisan office such as judge.

If you have any questions about your state’s primary election, please contact your local election officials.

You can vote on federal offices on a provisional ballot if you live in the precinct and you find yourself under one of the approved circumstances.

Those circumstances are:

• Your name does not appear on the precinct roster and the registration status cannot be determined by the precinct officer
• Your name does not appear on the precinct roster and you have been verified as ineligible to vote
• You do not have identification
• You are voting as a result of a federal or state court order or any order under state law in effect 10 days prior to Election Day which extends polling hours
• You have been challenged by all four precinct election officers

Provisional ballots are counted by 12pm the Friday after the election. If you want to check if your provisional ballot was counted or not, please go to the Kentucky state board of elections Provisional Voter Information page.

Kentucky is required to have a voting machine in each polling place that allows anyone with a disability to cast a ballot free of outside assistance. Nevertheless, if you need assistance due to physical disability, blindness or an inability to read English, you may request voting assistance at the polls on Election Day. Physical disability and blindness are the only two reasons you may apply to the county board of elections for permanent voting assistance. You may receive assistance from someone of your choice or the two election officers at the polls. You may not be assisted by your employer, the employer's agent, a union officer or agent of your union.

Note: VOTERS WHO DO NOT READ ENGLISH HAVE THE RIGHT TO BRING AN INTERPRETER WITH THEM TO THE POLLING PLACE

For more information, you can utilize the American Association of People With Disabilities (AAPD) resource.

It is important that your voter registration has your correct name and current address. There are 3 options for updating your voter registration:

1. when you get a new driver's license 
2. online at GoVote.KY.gov
3. visit your county clerk's office

You can now update your current registration or register to vote for the first time online! Your completed registration must be mailed or returned at least 29 days before the election to the State Board of Elections or your county clerk.

You have several options to register to vote or update your voter registration.

• Online: Visit GoVote.Ky.gov to register to vote or update your current registration!
• Mail-in: Download, print, and complete a paper form, and mail it to the State Board of Elections or your county clerk.
• In-Person: obtain a voter registration card at your county clerk’s office, complete and return it to your county clerk

Employers must allow employees up to 4 hours to vote during their regular work shift.

To verify your voter registration status

The voting systems used in Kentucky are optical scan and DRE.

Optical Scan: With this system, you will receive a card or sheet of paper, which you take over to a private table or booth. The card has the names of the various candidates and ballot measures printed on it. With a pen or pencil you fill in a little box or circle or the space between two arrows. When you are finished filling out all the cards, you may bring the cards over to a ballot box, where poll workers will show you how to put the cards in the box. Or in some places, you may feed the completed cards or papers into a computer device that checks your card or paper right there at the polling place to make sure you have voted the way you want to and counts the votes.

Direct Recording Electronic (DRE): This is the newest kind of system in use in the U.S. All the information about who and what you are voting for is on an electronic screen like a TV or computer screen.

There are many variations of DREs because lots of companies are inventing new ones, and many cities, counties and states are trying them out. Usually, after you have signed in, the poll workers will give you a card that you slide into a device to start your voting session.

Some of these devices will show all of the candidates and ballot choices on one big screen. Often, with these big screen devices you push a button next to the name of the candidate you want to vote for (or yes or no on a ballot measure). On other DREs, the screen is set up to show pages. On each screen or page, there will probably be one thing to vote on. For example, on one screen or page, you might vote for president. Then you might move to the next page to vote for senator. Often these small-screen devices have a touch screen, where you touch the screen next to the name of the person you want to vote for. Other devices have a key pad. And some have a keyboard, so you can write in the name of someone you want to vote for.

You let the system know you are finished voting by pushing a button, touching the screen or entering something on a keypad.

You can learn more about voting systems by checking out the Elections Assistance Commission's (EAC) resource or the KY Board of Elections site.