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Voting in Kentucky

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Election Information
2026 election and voting dates
Voter registration
Early voting
Absentee/mail-in voting
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Voter ID laws
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Select a state from the menu below to learn more about its voting policies.

The policies governing voter participation are enacted and enforced primarily at the state level. These policies, which include voter identification requirements, early voting provisions, online voter registration systems, and more, dictate the conditions under which people cast their ballots in their respective states.

This article includes the following information about voting policies in Kentucky:

Click here for more information about election administration in the state, including voter list maintenance policies, provisional ballot rules, post-election auditing practices, and additional election policy context.

For information on elections happening this year, click here.

Do you have questions about your elections? Looking for information about your local election official? Click here to use U.S. Vote Foundation’s election official lookup tool.

Voter registration

Eligibility and registration details

Check your voter registration status here.

According to the Kentucky State Board of Elections, in order to register to vote, a person must:[1]

“
  • 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.[2]
 ”

The deadline to submit a voter registration application is 29 days before an election, unless that day is a state or federal holiday.[3] If mailed, applications must be postmarked by that deadline.[4]

Voter registration applications may be completed online, mailed to the county clerk's office, or submitted in person at the county clerk's office.[1]


In-person voting

Poll times

See also: State poll opening and closing 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.[5]

Voter identification

See also: Voter identification laws by state

Kentucky requires voters to present identification while voting.[6][7]

As of October 2025, the following are the criteria for an eligible ID for voting purposes:

“ ​... a document that was issued by:

​(a) The United States or the Commonwealth of Kentucky, and the document contains:

​​1. The name of the individual to whom the document was issued;

​​2. A photograph of the individual to whom the document was issued;

​(b) The United States Department of Defense, a branch of the uniformed services, the Merchant Marine, or the Kentucky National Guard, and the document contains​:

​​1. The name of the individual to whom the document was issued;

​2. A photograph of the individual to whom the document was issued;

(c) A public or private college, university, or postgraduate technical or professional school located within the United States, and the document contains:

​​​1. The name of the individual to whom the document was issued;

​2. A photograph of the individual to whom the document was issued; or,

(d) Any city government, county government, urban-county government, charter county government, consolidated local government, or unified local government, which is located within this state, and the document contains:

​​1. The name of the individual to whom the document was issued;

​​​​2. A photograph of the individual to whom the document was issued.​[2]

”

Voters who cannot obtain a photo ID can sign a voter affirmation form and present one of the following non-photo IDs:[8]

  • Social Security card
  • Any ID card with both the voter’s photograph and name
  • Any food stamp ID card, electronic benefit transfer card, or supplemental nutrition assistance card issued by Kentucky that shows the voter’s name

Early voting

See also: 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/mail-in voting

See also: Absentee/mail-in voting

A Kentucky voter is eligible to vote absentee in an election if they cannot make it to the polls on Election Day and they meet one of the following criteria:[9]

“
1. A resident of Kentucky who is a covered voter as defined in KRS 117A.010;
2. A student who temporarily resides outside the county of his or her residence;
3. Incarcerated in jail and charged with a crime, but has not been convicted of the crime;
4. Changing or has changed his or her place of residence to a different state while the registration books are closed in the new state of residence before an election of electors for President and Vice President of the United States, in which case the voter shall be permitted to cast a mail-in absentee ballot for electors for President and Vice President of the United States only;
5. Temporarily residing outside the state but still eligible to vote in this state;
6. Prevented from voting in person at the polls on election day and from casting an excused or no-excuse in-person absentee ballot on all days in- person absentee voting is conducted because he or she will be absent from the county of his or her residence all hours and all days excused or no-excuse in-person absentee voting is conducted;
7. A participant in the Secretary of State's crime victim address confidentiality protection program as authorized by KRS 14.312; or
8. Not able to appear at the polls on election day or the days excused or no- excuse in-person absentee voting is conducted on the account of age, disability, or illness, and who has not been declared mentally disabled by a court of competent jurisdiction.[2]
 ”

Additionally, a voter that cannot make it to the polls on Election Day because as a result of medical emergency within 14 days of an election, and that voter's spouse, may request to receive an absentee ballot by mail.[10]

Voters can only request absentee ballots 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.[9]

State law allows for the portal to be open between 45 and 14 days immediately preceding a primary or general election.[9]


Local election officials

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Do you need information about elections in your area? Are you looking for your local election official? Click here to visit the U.S. Vote Foundation and use their election official lookup tool.

Voting rules for people convicted of a felony

See also: Voting rights for people convicted of a felony

Individuals convicted of a felony regain the right to vote upon completion of sentence, including prison time, parole, and probation. Rights are restored at that time regardless of whether the people convicted have paid all fines, restitution, or other money ordered by a court. People convicted of treason, election bribery, and certain violent felonies do not regain voting rights.[11]

Voting rights for people convicted of a felony vary from state to state. In the majority of states, people convicted of a felony cannot vote while they are incarcerated but may regain the right to vote upon release from prison or at some point thereafter.[12]


Contact information

Election agencies

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See also: State election agencies

Individuals seeking additional information about election administration in Kentucky can contact the following local, state, and federal agencies.

Kentucky County Boards of Elections

Click here for a list

Secretary of State

700 Capital Ave., Suite 152
Frankfort, Kentucky 40601
Phone: 502-564-3490
Fax: 502-564-5687
Email: https://www.sos.ky.gov/pages/contact.aspx
Website:http://www.sos.ky.gov/elections/

Kentucky State Board of Elections

140 Walnut Street
Frankfort, Kentucky 40601
Phone: 502-573-710
Toll free: 1-800-246-1399
Fax: 502-573-4369
Website: https://elect.ky.gov/Pages/default.aspx

Kentucky Registry of Election Finance

140 Walnut Street
Frankfort, Kentucky 40601
Phone: 502-573-2226
Fax: 502-573-5622
Email: John.Steffen@ky.gov
Website: http://kref.ky.gov/Pages/default.aspx

U.S. Election Assistance Commission

633 3rd Street NW, Suite 200
Washington, DC 20001
Phone: 301-563-3919
Toll free: 1-866-747-1471
Email: clearinghouse@eac.gov
Website: https://www.eac.gov


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See also

Elections in Kentucky


External links

Footnotes

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Commonwealth of Kentucky State Board of Elections, "Registration," accessed November 17, 2025
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
  3. ↑ Kentucky General Assembly, "Ky. Rev. Stat. § 116.045," accessed November 17, 2025
  4. ↑ Kentucky General Assembly, "116.0452 Standards for timely receipt of voter registration application -- Removal of names from registration books -- Confidentiality of registration location," accessed November 17, 2025
  5. ↑ Kentucky State Board of Elections, "Election Day Information," accessed November 17, 2025
  6. ↑ Kentucky State Board of Elections, "Voter ID Requirements," accessed October 6, 2025
  7. ↑ FindLaw.com, "Kentucky Revised Statutes Title X. Elections § 117.227. Confirmation of voter's identity," accessed October 6, 2025
  8. ↑ Fayette County Clerk, "Voter Registration FAQ," accessed October 6, 2025
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 Kentucky General Assembly, "Ky. Rev. Stat. § 117.085," accessed November 17, 2025 Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; name "kyav" defined multiple times with different content
  10. ↑ Kentucky General Assembly, "Ky. Rev. Stat. § 117.077," accessed November 17, 2025
  11. ↑ Kentucky Governor, "Related to the Restoration of Civil Rights for Convicted Felons," December 12, 2019
  12. ↑ National Conference of State Legislatures, "Felon Voting Rights," April 6, 2023
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