Following two years of flatlined voter registration, Kentucky is witnessing a surge, Secretary of State Michael Adams announced last week.
Adams said 9,631 new voters joined the rolls in August. That’s up from 5,995 in July.
Also in August, 5,373 voters were removed from the rolls—4,189 died, 677 were convicted of felonies, 412 moved out of state, 65 were ruled incompetent, 29 voluntarily de-registered, and one was a duplicate registration.
“Voter registration is back,” Adams said. “With COVID increasingly in the rearview mirror, political parties and civic organizations are able to promote voter registration, and we’re doing our part as well.”
Republican registrants account for 45.3% of the electorate, out of 1.6 million voters. Republican registration increased by 3,266 voters, a 0.2% increase.
Democratic registrants account for 44.9% of those registered—democratic registration shrunk by 1,099 voters or 0.07%.
A third, catch-all category is reserved for voters who register as Independent, Libertarian, or otherwise. Voters registered as Independent or otherwise account for 9.8% of the electorate, and recently 2,191 voters joined the roll.
Voters who are not Republicans or Democrats remain the fastest-growing share of the electorate, according to the Secretary of State’s office.
The deadline to register to vote to participate in the general election is Tuesday, Oct. 11. Kentuckians can check their registration status online or use the Commonwealth’s online registration portal.