Summary
Federal & state elections on the ballot: US Senator, 6 US House members, and State Senate and House members
Ballot measures:
The Kentucky State Board of Elections oversees all Kentucky elections.
OnAir Post: Kentucky Votes in 2024
News
North Kentucky Tribune – September 7, 2020
An estimated 170,000 Kentuckians with felonies in their past got back their right to vote through Gov. Andy Beshear’s executive action last December. The problem is, no one has told them they can register and vote.
The Kentucky Democracy Project is a new effort to register, educate and mobilize tens of thousands of Kentucky voters, particularly people with felonies in their past, and get people out to vote.
“We’re dedicated to reaching the 170,000 Kentuckians who got their right to vote back through Governor Beshear’s December 2019 Executive Action and spreading the word about the 2020 election process to make sure people know how to cast their vote through the mail or by voting in person early,” said Debbie Graner of Frankfort, a leader in the effort. “The voices and efforts of people with felonies in their past are especially important to this campaign.”
About
Contact
Locations
Board of Elections
140 Walnut Street
Frankfort, Kentucky 40601
Phone: 1-800-246-1399
Fax: 502-573-4369
Web Links
Registering to Vote
General Information
Who can register
To register in Kentucky you must:
- be a citizen of the United States
- be a resident of Kentucky for at least 28 days before to Election Day
- be 18 years of age on or before the next general election
- not be a convicted felon or if you have been convicted of a felony, your civil rights must have been restored by executive pardon
- not have been judged “mentally incompetent” in a court of law
- not claim the right to vote anywhere outside Kentucky
How to register
- Use our Register to Vote form below to fill out the National Voter Registration Form.
- Sign and date your form. This is very important!
- Mail or hand-deliver your completed form to the address we provide.
- Make sure you register before the voter registration deadline.
Election Day registration
N/A
Voting Rights restoration
If you have been convicted of a felony and have questions about whether you can register to vote, visit Restore Your Vote to determine your eligibility.
Registration Status (form)
New Registration (form)
Voting
General Information
Voting as a Student
Learn more from Campus Vote Project about voting for students.
Overseas and Military Voting
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.
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.
Voting with Disabilities
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.
For more information, you can utilize the American Association of People With Disabilities (AAPD) resource.
Early Voting
A voting machine is available at your county clerk’s office 12 (or more) working days before the election for you to vote early if you are qualified. You must fulfill one of the below criteria in order to be eligible:
- You will be out of the county on Election Day
- You are advanced in age, disabled, or ill
- You are military, their dependents, or an overseas citizen
- You are military personnel confined to base and learn of your confinement within seven days or less of an election
- You are a student or resident who temporarily resides outside of the county
- You have surgery scheduled and will require hospitalization on Election Day
- You are a spouse of a voter who is having surgery on Election day
- You are a pregnant woman in your third trimester
- You are a precinct election officer appointed to serve in precinct other than your own, an alternate precinct officer, a county board of elections member, a county board of elections member of staff, a deputy county clerk, or a state board of elections member of staff
Vote by Mail (Absentee)
Absentee ballot rules
You may vote by absentee ballot by mail in Kentucky if:
- you are advanced in age, disabled, or ill
- you are a military personnel or their dependent, or an overseas citizen
- you are a student who temporarily resides outside the county
- you are a voter who temporarily resides outside of Kentucky and who maintains eligibility to vote in Kentucky, such as a “snowbird”
- you are incarcerated, but not yet convicted of a crime
- you are employed outside of the county all hours the polling place is open.
You can vote by absentee ballot in person in Kentucky if:
- you will be out of the county on election day
- you are advanced in age, disabled, or ill
- you are a military personnel, their dependent, or an overseas citizen
- you are a military personnel confined to base and learn of your confinement within seven days or less of an election
- you are a student or resident who temporarily resides outside of the county
- you are a voter or the spouse of a voter who has surgery scheduled that will require hospitalization on Election Day
- you are a pregnant woman in third trimester
- you are a precinct election officer appointed to serve in precinct other than his own, an alternate precinct election officer, County Board of Elections’ members or staff, Deputy county clerk, or State Board of Elections’ staff
How to get Absentee ballot
- Use our Absentee Ballot form below to prepare your application.
- Sign and date the form. This is very important!
- Return your completed application to your Local Election Office as soon as possible. We’ll provide the mailing address for you.
- All Local Election Offices will accept mailed or hand-delivered forms. If it’s close to the deadline, call and see if your Local Election Office will let you fax or email the application.
- Make sure your application is received by the deadline. Your application must actually arrive by this time — simply being postmarked by the deadline is insufficient.
- Please contact your Local Election Office if you have any further questions about the exact process.
What to do next
- Once you receive the ballot, carefully read and follow the instructions.
- Sign and date where indicated.
- Mail your voted ballot back to the address indicated on the return envelope.
- Your voted ballot must arrive by the deadline or it will not be counted.
Absentee ballot application deadline
- In Person: 7 days before Election Day.
- By Mail: 7 days before Election Day.
- Online: 8 days before Election Day.
Absentee ballot submission deadline
Election Day
Absentee Ballot (form)
Elections Alert (Form)
Pollling Information
Polling Place Locator
You can find your polling place by utilizing your state resource.
If you have further questions on your polling place location, please contact your county clerk.
Polling Place Hours
Polls will be open from 6:00 am to 6:00 pm. All those in line by 6:00 pm will be able to vote.
Poll Worker Information
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 sign up, contact your local board of elections.
Board of Elections
The current members of the Board are:
Democratic Members | Republican Members |
Albert B. Chandler, III Term expires: 9/15/2022 Versailles | DeAnna Brangers Term expires: 4/1/2020 Prospect |
Sherry Whitehouse Term expires: 9/15/2022 Brooks | Cory Skolnick Term expires: 9/15/2022 Louisville |
George Russell Term expires: 4/1/2020 Frankfort Katrina Fitzgerald Term expires: 3/19/2023 Brandenburg | Dwight Sears Term expires: 9/15/2022 Somerset James Lewis Term Expires: 3/19/2023 Wooton |
- Ensure Kentucky’s compliance with federal election law
- Ensure Kentucky’s compliance with state election law
- Provide and maintain the statewide voter registration database
- Appoint county board of elections members
- Train county clerks and county board of election members