Kentucky Voting Requirements & Information
U.S. Vote Foundation’s Kentucky Voting Requirements and Information directory informs you of Kentucky voting rules and options. It focuses on Kentucky-specific voting guidelines and information for all voters, including domestic, overseas, and military voters. Here you can find out about Kentucky voter eligibility, voter ID requirements, registration, absentee and early voting options, ways to transmit voting documents and links to specific-Kentucky voting tools. It's an all-in-one Kentucky voting resource.
General Information
Registration
You can register to vote or update your registration information:
- online
- by mail
- in person at your elections office
- at driver's license bureau
- at public libraries
- at public assistance agencies
- at military recruitment offices
You must have resided in Kentucky at least 28 days prior to the election in which you intend to vote.
Election Day Voting
Polling places are open from 6am to 6pm on Election Day.
Find my polling place
Early Voting
Kentucky allows in-person, no-excuse early voting three days before Election Day (including Saturday). Registered voters can go to voting centers within their county regardless of their voting precinct. Voters can now also use an “on-line absentee ballot portal” 45 days before an election.
Absentee Voting
You must meet one of the following conditions in order to request an absentee ballot:
- A covered voter under the Kentucky Uniform Military and Overseas Act, KRS 117A.010
- Student who temporarily resides outside the county in which he is registered.
- Person who is incarcerated and has been charged with a crime but has yet to be convicted.
- Change of residence to new state where books are closed in election for President of the United States.
- Voter who temporarily resides outside the state but who is still eligible to vote in the state.
- Person whose employment location requires him to be absent from the county during all hours of all in-person voting days.
- Person who is participant in the Office of the Secretary of State's address confidentiality program.
- Person who due to age, disability or illness will be unable to go to the polls on election day.
The voter, the voter's family member, the voter's household member, or the voter's caregiver may return the ballot.
Please visit the US Vote Disability Voting Guide to see accommodations for the registration and voting process.
Eligibility Requirements
You are eligible to vote in Kentucky if you:
- Are a U.S. citizen
- Are a resident of Kentucky
- Are at least 18 years old by Election Day
You must be a state resident for at least 28 days to be eligible to vote.
You are NOT eligible to vote in Kentucky if:
- You are registered to vote in another state
- A judge has specifically ruled that you are not able to vote.
- You must not have been convicted of a felony, or if you have, your voting rights must have been restored.
Restorative Requirements
- If you are convicted of a non-violent felony, your right to vote is automatically restored once you complete your full sentence.
- If you are convicted of a felony involving treason, bribery, or a violent crime, or if you are convicted of a felony outside of Kentucky, once you have completed all terms of your sentence including probation and parole, your right to vote may only be restored by the petitioning the Governor.
You may preregister to vote in Kentucky
- at 17 years of age provided you will be 18 by the next general election.
If you are a student, you are eligible to vote in Kentucky if:
- You reside in Kentucky but are attending college in another state
- You reside in another state but attend college in Kentucky
- You provide a valid photo student ID from a college/university in Kentucky at the polls
Identification Requirements
Voter Registration
To register to vote in Kentucky you should provide:
- Your Social Security Number
- Your Kentucky Driver's License or State ID Number (online applicants only)
If you do not have one of these forms of ID and need help getting ID, go to www.voteriders.org.
Voting In-Person
In Kentucky, you need to show a valid photo ID to vote. You can use any ID from this list:
- Valid Kentucky Driver's License
- Kentucky ID Card
- Valid Military ID
- Valid Student ID
- Valid Local Government Issued ID
First time voters who did not submit an ID when registering to vote will need to include an ID from the above list when submitting an absentee ballot request application. If you do not have one of the Kentucky valid IDs and need help getting ID, go to www.voteriders.org or get a free state-issued ID card. If this is not possible, you may sign a Reasonable Impediment Declaration. In that case, you may show alternative ID such as your Social Security Card; an ID card with your photo or name; a Food Stamp or public assistance ID card; or a Credit or Debit Card.
A copy of any form of ID that is acceptable for voting in person should be included in a request for absentee ballot
Witness / Notarization Requirements
An absentee ballot must include ONLY ONE the following in order to be counted:
- Two Witness Signatures if the Voter is Using a “Mark” Instead of a Signature
Exceptions may apply for disabled voters. Please contact your local election official.
Voter Materials Transmission Options
Domestic Voter |
In-Person |
|
Fax |
|
Online |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Voter Registration | |||||
| Absentee Ballot Request | |||||
| Blank Ballot To Voter | |||||
| Voted-Absentee Ballot Return |
State Lookup Tools – Am I Registered?
State Elections Website
Where is my Polling Place?
Can I Register to Vote Online?
Am I Registered?
State Voter Registration FAQ
Overseas / Military Voter Information
Where is my Ballot?
Where are my Early Voting Locations?
Can I View my Sample Ballot?
Where is my Ballot Drop Box?
Has my Ballot Been Counted?
Where is my Overseas or Military Ballot?
Eligibility Requirements
Overseas Voters
U.S. citizens living abroad have the right to vote as absentee voters, provided they are eligible to vote in their state. If you are living outside of the U.S. permanently, indefinitely, or temporarily, your voting rights stay with you, even if you never voted when you lived in the U.S. To vote from overseas:
- Complete and send an overseas voter registration/ballot request form to your election office in the U.S. This is one specific form that will register you as an overseas voter and request your absentee ballot – simultaneously.
Many states allow children who were born overseas, but never lived in the U.S., to use their U.S. parents’ last residence address to register.
Military Voters
Service members and their eligible family members living outside their voting jurisdiction (within or outside the U.S.) are able to vote as absentee voters.
- If you are a service member, or an eligible family member, there is a single form to file for both voter registration and ballot request. It is often called the “Federal Post Card Application” or the FPCA form. This form must be re-filed with your election office each time you change location.
To vote as a service member or eligible family member:
- Complete and send a voter registration/ballot request form “FPCA” to your election office in the U.S. It is the same form in all states.
Identification Requirements
Voting Overseas
U.S. citizens living overseas may register and request a ballot using the overseas voter registration/ballot request form. Your state does not require an ID to be provided in order to register/request your ballot.
Voting Military
Service members and their dependents may register and request a ballot using the overseas voter registration/ballot request form ("FPCA"). Your state does not require an ID to be provided in order to register/request your ballot.
Voter Materials Transmission Options
Overseas Voter |
In-Person |
|
Fax |
|
Online |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Voter Registration | |||||
| Absentee Ballot Request | |||||
| Blank Ballot To Voter | |||||
| Voted-Absentee Ballot Return |
Military Voter |
In-Person |
|
Fax |
|
Online |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Voter Registration | |||||
| Absentee Ballot Request | |||||
| Blank Ballot To Voter | |||||
| Voted-Absentee Ballot Return |