Kentucky  

Voting Guide

Voter Registration Deadline: 29 days before Election Day

 

2019

  • General Election Registration Deadline: October 7

  • General Election: November 5

 

2020

  • Republican Presidential Caucus Registration Deadline: February 7 (Tentative)

  • Republican Presidential Caucus: March 7 (Tentative)

  • Democratic Presidential Primary Election and Primary Election (Other Offices) Registration Deadline: April 20

  • Democratic Presidential Primary Election and Primary Election (Other Offices): May 19

  • General Election Registration Deadline: October 5

  • General Election: November 3

Students have a choice about where to register to vote.

 

Students attending college may register at their campus address or choose to remain registered or register at their permanent or home address.

 

You may only be registered and vote in one location.

Kentucky’s voter registration form asks for your full Social Security number.

All voters must provide ID or be known by (personally acquainted with) a precinct officer prior to voting. If the precinct officer does not know you personally, acceptable IDs include:

  • Motor vehicle operator’s license issued by any US state;

  • Social Security card;

  • Identification card issued by the federal government;

  • Identification card issued by the Kentucky state government with a picture;

  • Identification card issued by the county (and has been approved in writing by the State Board of Elections);

  • Credit card; or

  • Any other ID card with a picture and signature.

Make a plan. Look up your voting site and hours at: https://vrsws.sos.ky.gov/vic

By Mail

You may vote absentee by mail for the following reasons:

  • You are a student attending school outside the county where you are registered;

  • Advanced age, disability, illness or medical emergency;

  • You are a member of the armed forces or the dependent of a member of the armed forces;

  • You are a Kentucky citizen residing outside of the United States;

  • You are incarcerated but not yet convicted of a felony; or

  • You work outside the county and are unable to vote all the hours the polling place is open.

 

Absentee ballots may only be obtained by contacting the County Clerk’s office either in person, by mail, by email, by phone, or by fax. Applications are not available online.

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A list of the County Clerks is available here: http://elect.ky.gov/contactcountyclerks.

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The deadline for applying for a mailed absentee ballot is seven days before Election Day.

Your completed absentee ballot must be returned by the close of polls on Election Day.

 

Early In-Person

A voting machine at the county clerk’s office is available during the last 12 (or more) working days before the election for certain qualified voters. If you do not qualify for a paper absentee ballot and meet one of the following conditions, you may vote early in person:

  • You are a student attending school outside the county of your voter registration who will be absent from the county on Election Day;

  • You will be out of the county on Election Day;

  • You are advanced in age, disabled, or ill;

  • You are a member of the armed forces or the dependent of a member of the armed forces;

  • You are a pregnant woman in your third trimester;

  • You are a member or an employee of the county board of elections, deputy clerk, alternate precinct officer or appointed to a precinct other than that in which you are registered;

  • You are military personnel who will be confined to a base within the county on Election Day and learn of that confinement within seven or fewer days of the election; or

  • You or your spouse has surgery scheduled that will require hospitalization on Election Day.

 

Election Day

Voting sites will be open from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Election Day. If you are in line by the closing time, then you must be allowed to vote.

Registering to Vote Does Not Affect Your:

  • Federal Financial Aid

    • Where you register to vote will not affect federal financial aid such as Pell Grants, Perkins or Stafford loans, or your dependency status for FAFSA

  • Status as a Dependent on Your Parents’ Taxes

    • Being registered to vote at a different address from your parents does not prevent them from claiming you as a dependent on their taxes

  • Tuition Status

    • Being deemed out-of-state for tuition purposes does not prevent you from choosing to register to vote in your campus community

 

Will registering to vote in Kentucky affect my driver’s license or car registration?

  • Yes. Registering to vote in Kentucky establishes residency in the state, which requires you to register any vehicles in Kentucky.

Fair Elections Center and Campus Vote Project intend the information contained herein is used only as a general guide. This document should not be used as a substitute for consultation with a licensed North Carolina legal professional.
 
Last updated March 2019