Registration Deadlines and Election Dates

IMPORTANT:

Due to the risks posed to the public by COVID-19, the presidential primary election has been rescheduled

for June 23, 2020.

• The voter registration deadline is May 26

• All voters are encouraged to vote by mail. The deadline to request a mail-in ballot is June 15

• Information about applying to vote by mail is available below. The State Board of Elections will also establish an online portal through which voters may request a mail-in ballot.

• Voters who otherwise do not qualify to vote by mail under Kentucky law may vote in the June 23 election by selecting “medical emergency” as the reason for which they are requesting a mail-in ballot, where they have “a reasonable fear of infection or transmission during a state of public health emergency declared by the Governor.” However, applicants will not be required to identify the emergency condition that qualifies them to vote by mail, or to get their application notarized.

• In-person voting will also be available by appointment. To schedule an appointment to vote in person on Election Day or during the early voting period, contact your county clerk’s office.

Voter Registration Deadline: 29 days before Election Day

2020

• Democratic Presidential Primary Election and Primary Election Registration Deadline: May 26

• Democratic Presidential Primary Election and Primary Election: June 23

• General Election Registration Deadline: October 5

• General Election: November 3

Official Election Websites

• More election information at elect.ky.gov

• Online voter registration available at https://vrsws.sos.ky.gov/ovrweb

• Mail-in voter registration form available at https://elect.ky.gov/SiteCollectionDocuments/Register%20to%20Vote/Kentucky%20Voter%20Registration%20Card.pdf

Register at School or Home

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.

What Type of ID Do I Need to Register?

Kentucky’s voter registration form asks for your full Social Security number. Residents can also register to vote online using their Kentucky-issued driver's license.

What Type of ID Do I Need to Vote?

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

Beginning with the November 3, 2020 General Election, voters must present ID bearing their names and photographs, and issued by:

• The United States or Commonwealth of Kentucky;

• The U.S. Department of Defense, a branch of the uniformed services, Merchant Marines, or Kentucky National Guard;

• A student ID issued by an institution of higher education in the United States; or

• A municipality located in Kentucky.

Voters who do not have one of these forms of ID can sign an affirmation and present one of the following forms of ID:

• Social Security card;

• A card issued by a Kentucky county bearing the voter’s name and approved by the State Board of Elections;

• Any identification card bearing the voter’s name and photograph;

• A food stamp identification card, electronic benefit transfer card, or supplemental nutrition assistance card issued by Kentucky and bearing the voter’s name; or

• A credit card or debit card bearing the voter’s name.

Where Do I Vote?

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

How Can I Vote?

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.

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

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 have a right to vote.

Common Questions/Concerns

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.