FRANKFORT, Ky. (LEX 18) — Registered voters in Kentucky can now begin casting absentee ballots in the May 22 primary elections.
Secretary of State Alison Lundergan Grimes said Wednesday that absentee voting by mail is open now, with in-person absentee voting also open in many counties with all counties providing the voting option by May 7.
"Voting in our elections is both a right and a responsibility," Grimes said in a statement. "If you know you cannot make it to the polls on Election Day, there are a number of options for Kentuckians to cast a ballot, including by mail or in person before Election Day."
According to Grimes’ office, voters must qualify to vote by mail-in ballot:
- Advanced in age, disabled, or ill
- Military personnel, their Dependents, or Overseas Citizens
- A student who temporarily resides outside the county
- Temporarily residing outside of Kentucky and who maintains eligibility to vote in Kentucky, such as a "snowbird"
- Incarcerated, but not yet convicted of a crime
- Prevented from voting in person at the polls on election day and from casting an in-person absentee ballot in the county clerk’s office on all days in-person absentee voting is conducted because of his or her employment location
- A participant in the Secretary of State’s Address Confidentiality Program
Voters may request an absentee ballot application from their county clerk in person or via telephone, fax, or email. The deadline to apply for a mail-in absentee ballot with the county clerk is May 15. Completed absentee ballots must be returned by mail and received by the county clerk by 6 p.m. local time on Election Day.
Qualified military and overseas voters may use GoVoteKY.com to request and receive their blank absentee ballots.
In-person absentee voting closes on May 21, the day before the Primary Election.
Anyone with questions about absentee voting should contact their county clerk or call the State Board of Elections at 502-573-7100.
