Voter Registration and Eligibility

WHO MAY REGISTER TO VOTE?

A native-born or naturalized U.S. citizen who is 18 years old by election day.
A resident of the state and county at least 28 days before an election.
A convicted felon whose civil rights have been legally restored.
Any citizen who has not been judged "mentally incompetent" in a court of law.
Any citizen who does not claim the right to vote anywhere outside Kentucky.

WHEN SHOULD I REGISTER?

You must be registered to vote at least 28 days before an election. [Registration books are closed from the fourth Tuesday preceding through the first Monday following an election.]

WHERE DO I REGISTER TO VOTE?

You may fill out a voter registration card through one of the following sources:

County Clerk's office
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 work at the school
Kentucky mail-in voter registration form
Federal mail-in voter registration form

MUST I CHOOSE A POLITICAL PARTY WHEN I REGISTER?

Kentucky allows registration for three political distinctions:

Democratic Party
Republican Party
Other (designate political organization)

Kentucky has closed party primary elections, which means you must register as a Democrat or Republican to vote in that party's May primary election. If you register as "Other," you cannot vote in the Democratic or Republican party primaries but may vote in non-partisan, city, judicial, and school board primaries. All eligible voters can vote in the November general election.

HOW DO I KNOW WHERE TO VOTE ON ELECTION DAY?

If your registration information has changed, you will receive a notice in the mail giving the name of your precinct and the address for your voting place. The polls are open from 6:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., local time. If you have any questions concerning where to vote, call your County Clerk with your Social Security number.

MAY I CHANGE MY POLITICAL PARTY AFFILIATION?

You may change your political party at any time. You simply need to fill out a new registration card and send it to your county clerk. However, you must do this on or before December 31 to remain eligible to vote in the following primary election.

WHAT IF I MOVE?

The situations which may occur are:

You move within the county. You need to notify the County Clerk of your new address. This can be done automatically when you update your driver's license, or you may call the County Clerk's office. You will receive a notice stating your precinct name and the address of your voting place. If you do not do this before election day, you need to go to the voting precinct that corresponds with your new address to vote. If you are unsure of where you will vote, call your County Clerk to find out. At this time, you will need to fill out a new voter registration card indicating your new address.
You move outside the county more than 28 days before Election Day. You need to 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 to be eligible to vote in the upcoming election. If you do not notify the County Clerk in either your old or your new county of residence 28 days prior to an election, then you are not eligible to vote in either county.
You move outside the county during the 28 days before the election. You may vote in your previous county of residence for this election but must update your address.

WHAT IF I CHANGE MY NAME?

It is very important that the County Clerk have the most up to date information on you as possible. There are two ways for you to update your voter registration when you change your name:

Renew or update your driver's license
Notify the County Clerk by writing or stopping in the office

WHAT ABOUT COLLEGE STUDENTS?

Students who will be away from home on election day may vote in one of two ways. They may request an absentee ballot from their home county's County Clerk, or they may re-register in the county where they reside while attending school.

Acknowledgements: Much of the information on this page is adapted from the Kentucky Secretary of State's web page. See the LWV home page for a link to that site.

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