Primary Election Day is May 19, but it’s not too early to start making your voting plan.
Before we jump into how you vote, let’s talk about why you should vote.
LINK spoke with Charles Merwin “Trey” Grayson, former Kentucky Secretary of State, and we asked him why people choose not to vote. He said there are many reasons, but there are two big ones.
One, is that many people think that with so many people voting, their vote doesn’t matter, but he said, that isn’t true.
“Especially in these local races where there’s a smaller number of voters, your vote, in fact, really does matter,” said Grayson. “A couple of years ago, we had a state legislative race in Kentucky that was decided by one vote.”
The second is the logistics of placing your vote, taking time out of your day to get to the polls.
“You know, life’s busy,” said Grayson. That’s one of the reasons why we in Kentucky have added these three days of early voting to help people have a few more days where they could schedule what’s best for them around their work schedule, their caregiving schedule.”
Grayson said that the state launched a temporary early voting system during the COVID-19 pandemic and made it a permanent part of Kentucky elections in 2022.
“Early voting is designed to try to help people who are life’s just busy and life is busy,” said Grayson.
Even though the election isn’t until next spring, there a some key dates coming up quick that you need to be aware of in order to place your vote.
Kentucky is one of 13 states in the Union to mandate closed primaries by law. Congressional and state-level primary elections are closed. That means if you want to vote those primaries, you must be registered as a member of one of the major parties, and you can only vote on a ballot for that party in the primary. Dec. 31, 2025, is the last day you can change your party affiliation for primary elections in 2026.
You can still change your party affiliation after the date, but you won’t be able to vote for your new party in the primary. You can update your registration by filing out papers at your county clerk’s office or by updating your registration electronically at vrsws.sos.ky.gov/ovrweb.
As far as closed primaries are concerned, independents can kick rocks, unless there are multiple independent candidates running for a single seat.
“And a lot of times, folks don’t think about that because as the race gets closer to May, people start paying more attention,” said Grayson. “Then they’re like, ‘Oh, it’s too late.’ So you can register to vote. If you’re not registered to vote, you pick the party at that time. But if you are registered to vote right now, you need to make sure you’re in the political party that you want to vote in by the end of the year.”
You can find out what political party you are registered under at vrsws.sos.ky.gov.
Find out more about how Kentucky primaries work here
How do you register to vote?
As a reminder, Dec. 31, 2025, is the last day to change political party affiliation and be eligible to vote in that political party for the 2026 election, so don’t forget.
You can register to vote in several different ways. To register online, visit govote.ky.gov. To register via the mail, print and submit a completed voter registration application to your county clerk’s office. To register in person, visit your county clerk’s office to submit an application.
If you have changed your name or mailing address, you must update your registration if you changed your name, residence or mailing address. You can update your registration online or by completing a voter registration application and submitting it to your county clerk’s office.
What do you need to bring to vote?
You don’t need much! Bring yourself, your knowledge and identification. All voters must produce valid identification at the polling place. Further information regarding valid forms of ID may be found at Voting In Kentucky – YouTube or Voter ID Requirements.
How and when can you vote?
Voters in Northern Kentucky have several options when it comes to casting their ballots.
Here are some of the different ways you can cast your ballots and the places where you can vote in person in Boone, Kenton and Campbell Counties both on and before Election Day.
Absentee voters
Eligible voters can request an absentee ballot by visiting govote.ky.gov and clicking on the first option on the menu. The website also has information about polling locations, registration status and sample ballots. You can request an absentee ballot online between April 4 and May 5.
From there, eligible voters can mail absentee ballots to the election offices indicated in their packets. They can also drop off their ballots at select locations in their county of permanent residence. Finally, eligible absentees can cast their ballots in person at specific locations May 6 through 8 and May 11 through 13.
To learn more about voting absentee, including eligibility criteria, drop-off locations and in-person voting locations, check out LINK nky’s absentee voting guide.
Everyone else
People who are not eligible for an absentee ballot can either vote early or cast their ballots normally at assigned polling places on Election Day.
Early voting takes place on May 14 through 16. If you want to vote early, you must go to an assigned voting location in your county and cast your vote during an allowable time frame, which varies by county.
Where to vote on Election Day
Where you vote on Election Day is determined by your home address and precinct location. Although you can request a provisional ballot on Election Day if you haven’t updated your registration, the process is somewhat involved and will likely extend your time at the polls, so it’s recommended you update your registration by the April 20 deadline.
Polls open at 6 a.m. and close at 6 p.m. on Tuesday, May 19. You can find your polling location and precinct number by checking your registration card or entering your information at vrsws.sos.ky.gov/VIC/.
Official polling locations for the 2026 election have not been finalized but LINK nky will include a map when they are.