Time’s running out to switch your party affiliation ahead of KY’s gubernatorial primary
If you want to switch your party registration to vote in Kentucky’s primary election in May, you have to do so soon.
That was the message Kentucky Secretary of State Michael Adams sent in a public service announcement Tuesday to remind voters of the fast-approaching deadline, which falls on Dec. 31.
“You cannot vote in a political party’s primary election if you are not registered as a member of that party,” Adams said in the PSA.
As a reminder, here’s how to update your voter registration in Kentucky, along with a look at which political party has the registration advantage in the Bluegrass State.
How to change your voter registration information in Kentucky
The easiest way is to visit the state’s voter information portal online at govote.ky.gov and click “New/Update Registration.”
You’ll be asked to verify your eligibility to register to vote in Kentucky.
To register, you must be a U.S. citizen, current resident of the state, be at least 18 years old (or will be before the next election) and not convicted felon. You must also have not been judged “incompetent” in a Kentucky court or claim the right to vote anywhere outside of the state.
You’ll next be asked for your social security number and date of birth. After providing this, you’ll be able to update your identification information and party affiliation on the subsequent pages.
After clicking through a few more pages and reviewing your changes, you’ll be notified you’ve successfully registered to vote and will be given a printable copy of your registration for your records.
How many people are registered to vote in Kentucky?
Adams announced in a news release Tuesday Kentucky has added more than 11,000 new voters since November, according to the Herald-Leader’s reporting partner WKYT.
Though after more than 7,000 voters were purged from the rolls due to deaths, convictions, migration out of state and other reasons, the net increase is closer to 4,000 newly registered voters.
As of November, the latest month for which registration data is available, the number of registered voters in Kentucky totaled 3,594,231. Of that amount, 1,603,358 were registered as Democrats and 1,633,890 as Republicans.
That gives Republicans a slight registration advantage over Democrats with Republicans making up roughly 45.5% of all registered voters in Kentucky.
Do you have a question about elections in Kentucky for our service journalism team? We’d like to hear from you. Fill out our Know Your Kentucky Form or email ask@herald-leader.com.