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It’s election time, and 2020 is one of the most contentious election years yet. With the Presidency and a Senate seat on the ballot, voting in Kentucky is more critical than ever.
If you want to make sure your voice is heard, make sure you have all the information you need to cast your ballot. Here’s what you need to know about casting your vote in the state of Kentucky.
Registering to Vote
In Kentucky, you must register to vote 29 days before election day in order to vote in that election, so the deadline to register in 2020 is October 5. Unfortunately, if you don’t register by the deadline, you cannot vote until the next election
You can register to vote online at the Kentucky Voter Registration portal. You can also use this system to update your registration if you’ve moved or changed your name.
You must meet the following requirements to register:
- You must be a U.S. Citizen.
- You must be a current resident of Kentucky.
- You must be at least 18 years of age on or before the next general election.
- You must not be a convicted felon, or if you have been convicted of a felony, your right to vote must be restored following an expungement, Executive Pardon, or Executive Order.
- You must not have been judged “mentally incompetent” in a court of law.
- You must not claim the right to vote anywhere outside Kentucky.
Want to check your registration status? You can use Vote.org’s checking tool below.
The Kentucky State Board of Elections website also allows you to check your registration or absentee status using your first name, last name, date of birth, and the last four digits of your SSN.
This form is provided and maintained entirely by Vote.org. None of the information you enter will be visible to or stored by The Bluegrass Village. You can view Vote.org’s privacy policy here.
How to Vote
Absentee Ballot/Mail-In Voting
You can vote by mail in Kentucky using an absentee ballot.
If you want to vote by absentee ballot, you can request one online at the Kentucky Absentee Request Portal. You can also request an absentee ballot at your County Clerk’s office. The deadline to request your absentee ballot is October 9, 2020.
You can get information about location and contact information for the County Clerk in your county here.
Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, any Kentuckians concerned with contracting or spreading COVID-19 can request an absentee ballot. Medical emergency absentee ballots requested can continue to be submitted from October 10th through November 3rd via traditional means.
During non-pandemic election years, there are the requirements to be eligible for an absentee ballot.
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 are a program participant in the Department of State’s Address Confidentiality Program
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
Absentee ballots returned by mail must be:
- Postmarked by Tue Nov 3, 2020 6:00pm EST
- In-Person, Received by Tue Nov 3, 2020
- Post received by Fri Nov 6, 2020 6:00pm EST
Instead of mailing your absentee ballot, you may use the official ballot drop boxes provided by your County Clerk.
You can find a complete list of ballot drop box locations by county here.
You can learn more about how to fill out an absentee ballot here.
Early Voting
Kentucky offers early voting for those who want to vote in person before election day. Early voting is available from October 13 to November 2.
You can vote early every weekday between Oct. 13 and Election Day, and every Saturday for at least four hours. County Clerks will provide at least one location for in-person voting.
Early voting is not absentee voting – anyone can vote early for any reason, and no appointment will be necessary.
Vote on Election Day
You can still vote in-person on Election Day in Kentucky, just like any other election, if that is what you want to do.
You should be aware that due to COVID-19, counties are expected to have fewer polling locations open. Because of this, long wait times may be encountered at the available polling locations on Election Day. Voting early or by absentee ballot is the best way to avoid this.
Whether you are voting early or on Election Day, you can use this list to find your voting location.
Every county will have at least one vote center, where every voter in the county can vote, regardless of his or her precinct.
All voting locations will be open from 6:00 am to 6:00 pm on Election Day.
If you are working on Election Day, you can make arrangements with your employer to have a minimum of four hours of consecutive time to vote or cast your absentee ballot.
You can’t be penalized for missing work to vote as long as you requested the time off in advance and didn’t use the time for something other than voting.
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What to Bring
In order to vote in Kentucky, you need a photo ID (unless you are known personally by a precinct election officer). Acceptable forms include:
- driver’s license
- military ID
- college ID
- Kentucky government ID
If you don’t have a photo ID, you may obtain a free photo ID card at your circuit clerk’s office or one of the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet’s regional offices.
If you cannot obtain a photo ID you may sign a “Reasonable Impediment Declaration” and present one of the following non-photo IDs: Social Security Card; any ID issued by a county in KY that’s been approved by the State Board of Elections and shows your name); any ID card with both the voter’s photograph and name; any food stamp ID card, electronic benefits transfer card, or supplemental nutrition assistance card issued by KY that shows voter’s name; or a credit or debit card that shows your name.
If you are unable to provide ID, you will be able to vote a provisional ballot. A provisional ballot records your vote, but does not count until voter verification can be obtained.
Do Your Research
Before you head into the polls, you can preview your ballot so you know what government offices and issues you will be voting on.
Vote411.org has an awesome tool for researching your ballot. Just type in your address and you can see everything you will be able to vote on.
This tool can tell you the candidate’s stances on key issues, show you videos from candidate debates, and explain the pros and cons of the measures proposed. You can even select each choice you want to make and have a copy of your ballot choices sent to your phone to reference during voting.
If you’re really not sure what side of the political divide you fall on, there are actually some fun quizzes you can take to find out which candidates views best align with your own.
Isidewith.com will quiz you on your political beliefs to show you who you match with. Brittanica also has a candidate matching quiz. Of course, these should not be your only sources of information if you want to be a truly informed voter, but they can give you a good starting place to understand your beliefs and the beliefs of the candidates.
Voting Resources
The following websites are places you can go for more information about voting in Kentucky:
Kentuckians for the Commonwealth – 2020 Voting Guide
Vote.org Kentucky Voting Guide
Kentucky Voter Information Portal
Vote411.org
Ballotpedia.org
If you have more question about registering or voting in Kentucky, you can find out how to contact the Kentucky State Board of Elections here.
About the Author
Jennifer is a writer and blogger who founded The Bluegrass Village. She also blogs at The Nerd Mom, a mommy blog for parents who love nerd culture. She is a wife and mama to four rambunctious kiddos. She and her family moved to Kentucky in the fall of 2019 and immediately fell in love with the Bluegrass State. She loves reading, gardening, and spending time outdoors with her kids and chickens.