Creating fair, representative, and accessible elections for all!
With Our People Our Vote, we’re making sure Kentuckians are registered to vote, know how to vote, and know what they’re voting on.
Because voting is more than checking boxes on a ballot; it’s an opportunity to care for your family and community by voting for fully funded schools, public transportation, better wages, and other issues you care about.
To do this, we provide non-partisan voter education resources that make voting easy and accessible for all Kentuckians!
Absentee ballot online request portal opens (to Kentuckians with a valid excuse)
Deadline to register to vote (4 p.m. local time)
In-person, excused, absentee early voting before Election Day (locations chosen by local county clerks)
In-person, no-excuse, absentee early voting opens to all Kentuckians (hours and location vary by county)
Election Day
Mail-in absentee ballots due (return by mail or ballot drop-box)
Use this tool to make a plan to vote by checking your voter registration, locating your early voting or Election Day polling place, and get assistance to request a vote by mail ballot.
If you are a college student, you can register to vote in the county where you live and attend college, as long as you register or update your registration by the October 10 registration deadline. You can also choose to stay registered to vote in your home county, but you would need to either request an absentee ballot, or make a plan to vote in person at home–either at your home polling location on Election Day; at the County Clerk’s office or another location chosen by the County Clerk during the county’s excused in-person absentee voting days; or at a no-excuse absentee early voting location between Thursday, November 2 to Saturday November 4. See “Out of Town on Election Day?” for information on how to request an absentee ballot.
In 2019, Governor Andy Beshear issued an Executive Order automatically restoring the right to vote and the right to hold public office for formerly incarcerated Kentuckians who have been convicted of non-violent felonies and who have satisfied their term of supervised release and/or their sentence of incarceration.
What if I don't qualify for automatic restoration?
Still not sure if you are eligible for restoration of your right to vote?
Per the Kentucky Department of Corrections: “Any individual who submitted an application for restoration of civil rights to a prior Governor's administration is encouraged to submit an application with updated information to the current administration.”
This means that, even if you submitted a complete application to restore your voting rights during Governor Matt Bevin's term (2015-2019), you must reapply and submit a new application to Governor Andy Beshear’s administration to petition for a restoration of your voting rights.
As long as you will turn 18 years old by the November 7, 2023 General Election, you may register to vote in Kentucky. Be sure to register by the deadline on October 10 at 4 p.m. local time in order to cast your vote on November 7!
A valid photo ID is required to vote in Kentucky. This means an ID with your name and photo on it, issued by:
Some examples of a valid photo ID include a Kentucky driver’s license, a military ID, a college ID, or a Kentucky government ID. (An expired Kentucky driver's license is also a valid form of ID.)
If you don’t have a valid photo ID, consider getting a free state-issued ID card, which is available for any individual who is at least 18 and doesn’t have a valid driver’s license. To get one, bring a birth certificate, social security card, and proof of residency to your local Circuit Clerk’s office, or to a Kentucky Transportation Cabinet’s Regional Driver Licensing Office.
If you can’t get a valid photo ID, you can still vote if you sign a document at a polling location that states you could not obtain a photo ID, and instead present:
Lastly, a voter’s identity can be verified by a personal acquaintance with an election official, but the official will be asked to sign an affirmation.
Prior to the voter registration deadline on October 10 at 4 p.m. local time, you can register to vote at your new address by registering or updating your voter registration.
If you moved between counties after the voter registration deadline of October 10, or didn’t have a chance to update your registration, you can still vote at your previous address for one election–but would need to either request an absentee ballot for your previous address, or make a plan to vote in person at your former precinct. You can vote in person at your former polling location on Election Day; at a location determined by your former County Clerk during the county’s excused in-person absentee voting days; or at a no-excuse absentee early voting location between Thursday, November 2 to Saturday November 4. See “Out of Town on Election Day?” for information on how to request an absentee ballot. And be sure to update your voter registration with your new address before the next election.
If you moved within your county, you can vote at your new polling location, and can update your new registration address at that time.
If you’ll be out of town on Election Day, there are three different ways you may vote:
If any of the options below are true for you, you are allowed to vote absentee by mail:
If you have a disability that prevents you from marking a paper ballot and you would like to request an accessible absentee ballot, please contact your county clerk for guidance related to the state's accessible absentee portal.
If any of the options below are true for you, you are allowed to vote during excused in-person absentee voting, which takes place during working hours at your County Clerk’s office, or another location chosen by your County Clerk, between October 25 – November 1, 2023.
All Kentuckians who are registered to vote and have not already requested a mail-in absentee ballot may cast an in-person absentee ballot at the county voting center for any reason. The locations and hours of no-excuse absentee voting vary by county; locations will be announced here.
Once someone has requested a mail-in ballot, there is no circumstance under which they can vote in-person.
As a Kentucky voter, you have the right to:
Vote a provisional ballot if:
As a Kentucky voter, you have the responsibility to:
Under state or federal law, it is a crime for a voter to willfully and knowingly:
If you believe that your right to vote has been violated, please contact any of the following:
If you are a registered voter who is facing a medical emergency, including illness such as COVID-19, within fourteen days of an election, you can access an absentee ballot even though the absentee ballot online request portal will be closed. Do this by having your spouse, parent, or child pick up and drop off an absentee ballot application for you at the County Clerk’s office. If you don’t have a spouse, parent, or children, the application can also be requested by a sibling, niece, nephew, or other designee. These absentee ballot applications must be notarized. Once your county clerk has verified your application, they will issue you an absentee ballot, which must be received via mail or drop box by 6 p.m. local time on Election Day.