Voting Information
In order to vote for party candidates in the May 2026 primary election, you must designate your party choice by 11:59 PM on December 31, 2025, unless you are registering in Kentucky for the first time after that date.
VOTING PLAN INFORMATION
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Who can register to vote?
To register you must:-be a U.S. Citizen and a Kentucky resident for at least 28 days before the election.
-be at least 18 years old by the date of the next general election
Only 17? If you will be 18 by the November general election, you are eligible to vote in the prior May primary election.
-not be a convicted felon or, if convicted of a felony offense, you must have had your civil rights restored. Visit CivilRights.Restoration.ky.gov for more information.
-not have been judged "mentally incompetent" in a court of law
-not claim the right to vote anywhere outside Kentucky
Qualifications to Vote in A Primary KRS 116.005
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Where do I register to vote?
You must have completed a voter registration application and be registered at least 29 days prior to an election through the following sources:
—online at the Secretary of State’s secure portal: GoVote.KY.gov
—County Clerk's office (in person or online)
—Driver's License office, if you are applying for or renewing your driver's license
—K-TAP, Food Stamp, Medicaid, WIC, and state funded offices serving those with disabilities, if you are a client of these Public Assistance offices
—Armed Forces Recruitment offices, if you are a prospective member of the armed forces
—High Schools, if you are a student or staff member
—Kentucky Mail-in voter registration form
—Federal Mail-in voter registration form
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Voters are allowed to vote on the Thursday, Friday and Saturday prior to election day without an excuse. This is called early voting. Hours are 8:30 AM -4:30 PM. Since there are fewer locations available for early voting, the Fayette County Clerk requests that voters who are able to vote on Election Day, do so to avoid long lines during early voting. On Election Day, all precincts are open, allowing much larger numbers of voters to vote more quickly.
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You may vote an absentee ballot in person on a voting machine in the County Clerk's office the 6 business days prior to the Thursday of early voting if you meet one of the following conditions:
—You will be out of the county on election day and days of no-excuse early voting
—You reside temporarily out of the state but still eligible to vote and will be out of county of residence on election day and days of no- excuse early voting
—Advanced in age, disabled, or ill and will not be able to appear at the polls on election day and the days of no excuse early voting.
—You are a pregnant woman in your third trimester and you sign a form from the state board of elections that is a sworn statement that you are in your third trimester at the time you want to vote.
—Student residing temporarily outside county of residence and outside of the county on election day and days of early voting.
—You are a member of the County Board of Elections, alternate precinct officer or appointed to a precinct other than that in which you are registered.
If you are casting an in-person absentee ballot at the County Clerk's office, you may fill out the application at the time that you go to the office to vote, eliminating the need for multiple trips. Be sure to bring an ID with you for in-person absentee voting.
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If you cannot make it to the polls on election day and any of the days of excused or no-excuse absentee voting, and you meet any of these qualifications you may request a paper absentee ballot be mailed to you:
—Due to 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 (Obtain the online Federal Post Card Application FPCA form.)
—You temporarily reside overseas but are still eligible to vote in Kentucky
—You are a student attending school outside the county of your voter registration
—You temporarily live outside the state but are still eligible to vote in Kentucky
—You are incarcerated in jail and have been charged but not convicted of a felony
—You work outside the county and are unable to either vote early in the county clerk's office, during no excuse voting or in your polling place on election day
You may request the absentee ballot through the portal no earlier than 45 days prior to the election when the GoVote.KY.gov portal opens. The portal for requesting a paper absentee ballot closes at 11:59 PM, 14 days prior to the election.
However, you may apply for a medical emergency absentee ballot up to the day of the election. You may request the absentee ballot application from your County Clerk's office in person, by mail, by phone or by fax.
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A sample ballot will be published by the County Clerk in the local newspaper at least 7 days before election day. You may also call the County Clerk's office and inquire about the elections to be held in your county. The local or state Republican or Democrat party headquarters will also be able to supply you with this information.
Details on where the Absentee ballot can be mailed. Image provided by the Kentucky State Board of Elections.
Update your political Party affiliation by the Dec 31 deadline to vote in the KY Primary at GoVote.KY.gov
REGISTRATION FAQs
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Kentucky allows registration for three political distinctions: Democratic Party, Republican Party and Other. Kentucky has closed party primary elections. You must register as a Democrat or Republican to vote in that party's May primary election. If you register as "Other", you may vote in nonpartisan, city and judicial primaries but cannot vote in the Democratic or Republican party primaries. All eligible voters can vote in the November general election.
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You may change your political party affiliation at any time on or before December 31 to remain eligible to vote in the following primary election. Go to GoVote.KY.gov and choose “New/Update Registration” to change your political party affiliation.
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You may register to vote in either you home county or in the county you reside in for school, however, you may not register in both. If you register at your home address, you will need to either travel home to vote, or obtain an absentee ballot in accordance with the procedures with your home county.
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To be eligible to vote refer to the appropriate situation below:
—You move within the county: Notify the County Clerk of your new address or update your driver's license. The county clerk will tell you the location of your new voting precinct. If you do not do this before election day, you must go to the voting precinct of your new address to vote and update your voter registration address.
—You move outside the county more than 28 days before election day: Update your voter registration address with the new county clerk or renew your driver's license in the new county at least 28 days before the election. If you do not notify the county clerk in either your old county or your new county of residence 28 days prior to an election, you are not eligible to vote in either county.
—You move outside the county less than 28 days before the election: You may vote in your previous county of residence for this election, but must update your address.
—You move outside the state, but the registration books are closed for the new state of residence before a presidential election, you can cast an absentee ballot for President/Vice President only by mail or at the county clerk’s office of the former residence or location designated by the State Board of Elections.
—You temporarily reside outside of Kentucky, but are eligible to vote in Kentucky: Please see section regarding absentee ballots.
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Yes, if you do not have a home, you may still register to vote. When completing your registration, you can use the address for the County Clerk’s Office: 162 East Main St. Lexington, KY 40507 or the address for a shelter.
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Yes, it is very important that the County Clerk has the most up to date information on you as possible. There are three ways for you to update your voter registration when you change your name and they are the following:
—renew or update your driver's license
—visit the SOS’s portal: GoVote.KY.gov and choose “New/Update Registration”
—notify the County Clerk online, by writing or stopping in their office.
VOTING FAQs
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You will receive a notice in the mail from the County Clerk with your precinct name and voting location address. The polls are open from 6:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., local time. All those in line by 6 p.m. will be able to vote. If you have any questions concerning where to vote, call your County Clerk.
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There are various resources to get to the polls.
LexTran has historically offered free bus rides- any route- on the General Election day (November). Trips to your polling place can be planned using the map.
You can request a ride to the polls from RideShare2Vote Aware.org
Both the Democratic and Republican Parties offer rides to the polls.
Democratic Party, call 859-268-4448
Republican Party, call 859 576-4066
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Be sure to make your mark heavy and dark and complete the bubble so the machine can read your choice. You may request instructions from the precinct election officials assigned to your precinct on election day. You may also request a sample ballot to review while waiting to vote.
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Employees wishing to vote in general elections are allowed up to 4 hours of voting leave. To be eligible, an employee must be registered to vote in the county holding the election, be scheduled to work on election day, and notify their immediate supervisor prior to receiving leave. Employees who are authorized to work in lieu of taking voting leave will receive four hours of compensatory leave.
You may also vote early on the three days of early voting, or if you are working during all of the voting hours on election day and early voting, you may vote in-person absentee at the county clerk’s office on the 6 business days preceding the Thursday of early voting.
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People who require voting assistance due to physical disability, blindness or an inability to read English may request voting assistance at the polls on election day. Physical disability and blindness are the only two reasons a voter may apply to the County Board of Elections for permanent voting assistance. A person may receive assistance from someone of their choice or the two election officers at the polls. A person may not be assisted by their employer, his/her agent, a union officer or agent of that voter's union.
Your Voice: Your Vote Brochure by the Kentucky Protection & Advocacy
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The Kentucky State Board of Elections has information on their website specifically for college students. Find it here.
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The County Clerk is responsible for all aspects of the electoral process. This includes preparing ballot and voting machines, tabulating votes, certifying winners and keeping a permanent record of the results of all elections. A listing of all County Clerks is available on the Kentucky State Board of Election's website.
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162 East Main St
Lexington, KY 40507
Voter Registration: (859) 255-VOTE (8683)
Fax: (859) 231-9619
