By McKenna Horsley
Kentucky Lantern
September 29, 2026
This coming Monday — Oct. 5 — is the last day for Kentuckians to register to vote ahead of the November general election.
Registering can be completed online, via mail or by returning voter registration cards to your local County Clerk’s office. As of August, the state has about 3.3 million registered voters.
In order to vote next month, online registration must be completed on Monday by 4 p.m. local time. Mailed registrations must be postmarked by Oct. 5.
The general election is Tuesday, Nov. 3. The ballot will include local and statehouse races, as well as federal elections for the U.S. House and Senate. One constitutional amendment regarding governors’ pardon powers will be on the ballot.
According to the Secretary of State’s Office, the qualifications for voters to register in in Kentucky are:
- Be a U.S. citizen and a Kentucky resident for at least 28 days before the election. Non-U.S. citizens and U.S. nationals do not qualify.
- Be at least 18 years old by the next general election.
- Cannot be a convicted felon. For some with an expungement, executive pardon or executive order, the right to vote may be restored.
- Cannot have been judged mentally incompetent in a court of law or have voting rights removed.
- Cannot claim the right to vote outside Kentucky.
To request an absentee ballot or learn more information about voting in Kentucky, visit the online voter information portal.
Kentucky Lantern is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Kentucky Lantern maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Linda Blackford for questions: info@kentuckylantern.com.
