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Kentucky state legislative Democratic primaries, 2018

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2018 Kentucky
General Assembly elections
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GeneralNovember 6, 2018
PrimaryMay 22, 2018
2018 elections
Choose a chamber below:


The Democratic primary elections for the seats in the Kentucky State Senate and Kentucky House of Representatives were on May 22, 2018. For information about the Republican primary elections in Kentucky, click here.

The general election was on November 6, 2018. The candidate filing deadline was January 30, 2018. In the state Senate, 19 of 38 seats were up for election. In the state House, all 100 seats were up for election.

HIGHLIGHTS
  • As of November 2017, Kentucky was one of 26 Republican trifectas. A state government trifecta is a term used to describe a single-party government where one political party holds the governor's office and a majority in both chambers of the state legislature. To find out more about state government trifectas, click here.


    • Incumbents who did not advance to the general election

    Retiring incumbents

    Eleven Democratic state House incumbents did not seek re-election in 2018:

    Incumbents defeated

    One Democratic state House incumbent was defeated in the primaries:

    Competitiveness

    See also: 2018 primary election competitiveness in state and federal government and Kentucky state legislative Republican primaries, 2018

    There were 22 open seats in 2018, which was higher than the 10 open seats in 2016 and the 11 open seats in 2014. The 28 contested Democratic primaries was up from 18 in 2016 and 11 in 2014. The 29 contested Republican primaries was down from 34 in 2016 but up from 18 in 2014. The 298 candidates running was up from 255 in 2016 and 215 in 2014.

    Year Total seats Open seats Total candidates Democratic primaries contested Republican primaries contested Total contested Incumbents contested in primaries Total incumbents contested in primaries
    2018 119 22 298 28 29 23.9% 16 16.5%
    2016 119 10 255 18 34 21.8% 18 16.5%
    2014 119 11 215 11 18 12.2% 14 13.0%

    Partisan control

    The tables below show the partisan breakdowns of the Kentucky House of Representatives and the Kentucky State Senate as of May 2018:

    Kentucky House of Representatives

    Party As of May 2018
         Democratic Party 37
         Republican Party 63
         Vacancies 0
    Total 100

    Kentucky State Senate

    Party As of May 2018
         Democratic Party 11
         Republican Party 27
         Vacancies 0
    Total 38

    Voter information

    How the primary works

    A primary election is an election in which registered voters select a candidate that they believe should be a political party's candidate for elected office to run in the general election. They are also used to choose convention delegates and party leaders. Primaries are state-level and local-level elections that take place prior to a general election. Kentucky utilizes a closed primary process, in which the selection of a party's candidates in an election is limited to registered party members.[1][2][3]

    For information about which offices are nominated via primary election, see this article.

    Poll times

    In Kentucky, all polls are open from 6:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. Central and Eastern Time. All those in line by 6:00 p.m. will be permitted to vote.[4]

    Registration requirements

    Check your voter registration status here.

    According to the Kentucky State Board of Elections, in order to register to vote, a person must:[5]

    “
    • Be a U.S. citizen and a Kentucky resident for at least 28 days before the election.
      • Non-U.S. citizens, including U.S. nationals do not qualify;
    • Be at least 18 years old by the next General Election;
      • Kentucky law allows qualified individuals to register at 17 years of age and be able to participate in a Primary Election if the individual will be 18 years old by the General Election;
    • Not be a convicted felon (or, if convicted of a felony, my right to vote has been restored following an expungement, Executive Pardon, or Executive Order;
    • Not have been judged mentally incompetent in a court of law and have voting rights removed;
    • Not claim the right to vote outside Kentucky.[6]
    		 ”

    The deadline to submit a voter registration application is 29 days before an election, unless that day is a state or federal holiday.[7] If mailed, applications must be postmarked by that deadline.[8]

    Voter registration applications may be completed online, mailed to the county clerk's office, or submitted in person at the county clerk's office.[5]

    Automatic registration

    Kentucky does not practice automatic voter registration.

    Online registration

    See also: Online voter registration

    Kentucky has implemented an online voter registration system. Residents can register to vote by visiting this website.

    Same-day registration

    Kentucky does not allow same-day voter registration.

    Residency requirements

    Kentucky law requires 28 days of residency in the state before a person may vote.

    Verification of citizenship

    See also: Laws permitting noncitizens to vote in the United States

    Kentucky does not require proof of citizenship for voter registration. An individual must attest that they are a U.S. citizen when registering to vote. According to the state's voter registration application, "per KRS 119.025, any person who causes himself to be registered when he is not legally entitled to register, shall be subject to penalties including fines and/or a term of imprisonment not less than one (1) year nor more than (5) years."[9]

    All 49 states with voter registration systems require applicants to declare that they are U.S. citizens in order to register to vote in state and federal elections, under penalty of perjury or other punishment.[10] Seven states — Alabama, Arizona, Georgia, Kansas, Louisiana, New Hampshire, and Wyoming — have laws requiring verification of citizenship at the time of voter registration, whether in effect or not. In three states — California, Maryland, and Vermont — at least one local jurisdiction allows noncitizens to vote in some local elections. Noncitizens registering to vote in those elections must complete a voter registration application provided by the local jurisdiction and are not eligible to register as state or federal voters.

    Verifying your registration

    The Voter Information Center site, run by the Kentucky State Board of Elections, allows residents to check their voter registration status online.


    Voter ID requirements

    Kentucky requires voters to present identification while voting.[11][12]

    Voters can present the following forms of identification:

    • Driver’s license
    • Social Security card
    • County issued identification card approved in writing by the State Board of Elections
    • U.S. government-issued identification card
    • Kentucky state government-issued identification card with a picture
    • Any form of ID containing both picture and signature

    If a precinct officer is a personal acquaintance of the voter, the voter does not have to produce identification.

    Early voting

    Kentucky permits early voting. Learn more by visiting this website.

    Early voting permits citizens to cast ballots in person at a polling place prior to an election. In states that permit no-excuse early voting, a voter does not have to provide an excuse for being unable to vote on Election Day. States that allow voters to cast no-excuse absentee/mail-in ballots in person are counted as no-excuse early voting states.

    Forty-seven states and the District of Columbia permit no-excuse early voting.

    Absentee voting

    A Kentucky voter is eligible to vote absentee in an election if he or she cannot make it to the polls on Election Day for one of the following reasons:[13]

    • The voter is advanced in age, disabled, or ill
    • The voter is a member of the United States Military or is a dependent of a member of the military
    • The voter is an overseas citizen
    • The voter is a student who temporarily resides outside the county
    • The voter is temporarily residing outside of Kentucky and maintains eligibility to vote in Kentucky, such as a "snowbird"
    • The voter is incarcerated, but not yet convicted of a crime
    • The voter is unable to vote in-person because of his or her employment location
    • The voter is a participant in the Secretary of State's crime victim address confidentiality protection program
    • The voter is subject to a medical emergency within fourteen days or less of an election
    • The voter has change their residence or registered in a new state after the date on which that state closes their registration before a presidential election, than the voter may cast an absentee ballot by mail in Kentucky

    Absentee ballots can only be requested through an online portal established by the State Board of Elections. Disabled, military and overseas, and voters subject to medical emergencies may also request an absentee ballot through their county clerk. Eligible voters who do not have internet access may give their information to a county clerk by phone to request an absentee ballot.[14]

    State law allows for the portal to be open between 45 and 14 days immediately preceding a primary or general election.[14]


    See also

    Footnotes

    1. ↑ NCSL,"State Primary Election Types," February 06, 2024
    2. ↑ Ballotpedia research conducted December 26, 2013, through January 3, 2014, researching and analyzing various state websites and codes.
    3. ↑ Kentucky State Board of Elections,"Key Information," accessed July 26, 2024
    4. ↑ Kentucky State Board of Elections, "Election Day Information," accessed July 26, 2024
    5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 Commonwealth of Kentucky State Board of Elections, "Registration," accessed July 26, 2024
    6. ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
    7. ↑ Kentucky General Assembly, "116.045 Voter registration, transfer, or change of party affiliation -- Availability of forms," accessed July 24, 2024
    8. ↑ Kentucky General Assembly, "116.0452 Standards for timely receipt of voter registration application -- Removal of names from registration books -- Confidentiality of registration location," accessed July 24, 2024
    9. ↑ Commonwealth of Kentucky State Board of Elections, "Commonwealth of Kentucky Voter Registration Application," accessed November 1, 2024
    10. ↑ Under federal law, the national mail voter registration application (a version of which is in use in all states with voter registration systems) requires applicants to indicate that they are U.S. citizens in order to complete an application to vote in state or federal elections, but does not require voters to provide documentary proof of citizenship. According to the U.S. Department of Justice, the application "may require only the minimum amount of information necessary to prevent duplicate voter registrations and permit State officials both to determine the eligibility of the applicant to vote and to administer the voting process."
    11. ↑ Kentucky State Board of Elections, "Election Day Information," accessed July 25, 2024
    12. ↑ FindLaw.com, "Kentucky Revised Statutes Title X. Elections § 117.227. Confirmation of voter's identity," accessed July 25, 2024
    13. ↑ Kentucky Revised Statutes Chapter 117, "117.076 No-excuse in-person absentee ballot -- Excused in-person absentee ballot -- Proof of identification -- In-person absentee voting procedure -- Voter assistance form -- Oath of voter affidavit -- Signature roster -- Members of county board may serve as precinct officers -- Challengers -- Locking of voting equipment -- Transmitting or publicizing count -- Tamper-resistant seal -- Administrative regulations.," accessed July 25, 2024
    14. ↑ 14.0 14.1 Kentucky Revised Statutes Chapter 117, "117.085 Mail-in absentee ballots -- Application through online portal and other means -- Procedures -- Cancellation -- Administrative regulations -- Disclosure of information." accessed July 25, 2024
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