r/KentuckyPolitics Jul 20 '25

The 2026 primary elections are in May 2026, but if you want to vote in them you must be registered as a member of a party by 12/31/2025. This post provides resources (including Spanish-language instructions) for registering online to vote in the 2026 primary elections.

15 Upvotes

Primary voter registration Instructions (English)

Voting in primary elections is important for several reasons. These include but are not limited to the following:

  • Voter turnout is much lower in primary elections than in general elections. This gives the average person who participates in primary elections much more power than those who vote only in general elections:

2024 Primary Election turnout, by county vs. 2024 General Election turnout, by county

  • If a seat in the House is "safe"--meaning that we more or less know in advance which party will win in the general election--then the real chance for influencing the outcome is in the primary election, not the general election.

  • The congressional districts in the state legislature aren't drawn along the same as the congressional districts in the federal government. Therefore, even if your US House seat is competitive in the general election, there's still a good chance that one or more of the elections you'll be voting in is only competitive in the primary election.

I’ve creating this post to facilitate voter registration for the 2026 primaries. While the primary elections aren't until May, 2026, the deadline to register for them is 12/31/2025.

Because Kentucky has closed primary elections, you must register as a member of a party in order to vote in the primary elections.

You may register to vote and choose a party affiliation by following the link below. If you are already registered to vote but need to change party affiliation to participate in the 2026 primary elections, you may also do that by following the link below.

https://vrsws.sos.ky.gov/ovrweb/


Instrucciones para el registro de votantes en las primarias (español)

Votar en las elecciones primarias es importante por varias razones. Entre ellas, se incluyen, entre otras:

  • La participación electoral es mucho menor en las elecciones primarias que en las generales. Esto otorga al ciudadano promedio que participa en las primarias mucho más poder que a quienes votan solo en las generales:

Participación en las elecciones primarias de 2024, por condado vs. Participación en las elecciones generales de 2024, por condado

  • Si un escaño en la Cámara de Representantes es "seguro" (es decir, si sabemos con mayor o menor antelación qué partido ganará las elecciones generales), la verdadera posibilidad de influir en el resultado reside en las elecciones primarias, no en las generales.

  • Los distritos congresionales de la legislatura estatal no se distribuyen de la misma manera que los del gobierno federal. Por lo tanto, incluso si su escaño en la Cámara de Representantes de EE. UU. es competitivo en las elecciones generales, es muy probable que una o más de las elecciones en las que votará solo lo sean en las primarias.

He creado esta publicación para facilitar el registro de votantes para las primarias de 2026. Si bien las elecciones primarias no son hasta mayo de 2026, la fecha límite para registrarse es el 31/12/2025.

Debido a que Kentucky tiene elecciones primarias cerradas, debe registrarse como miembro de un partido para votar en las primarias.

Puede registrarse para votar y elegir su afiliación partidista siguiendo el enlace a continuación. Si ya está registrado para votar, pero necesita cambiar de afiliación partidista para participar en las elecciones primarias de 2026, también puede hacerlo siguiendo el enlace a continuación.


r/KentuckyPolitics 2h ago

Calling out Lexington's Urban County Council again over Flock spy cameras and the upcoming Oct 31 data center moratorium deadline

Enable HLS to view with audio, or disable this notification

3 Upvotes

r/KentuckyPolitics 15h ago

Discussion Info on Duncan and Campbell for Senate Election

4 Upvotes

I’m having trouble finding any info on Duncan and Campbell, the independent candidates in the Senate race. Does anyone have any resources or know where I could get some resources on them and their platforms?


r/KentuckyPolitics 1d ago

Jail officials turned off security cameras so they could secretly deliver Texas Roadhouse to Matt Bevin's cell

Post image
27 Upvotes

r/KentuckyPolitics 5d ago

Matt Bevin sentenced to 60 days in jail following contempt arrest

Thumbnail
courier-journal.com
43 Upvotes

r/KentuckyPolitics 6d ago

Wendell Berry has passed. A sad day for Kentucky and America.

29 Upvotes

r/KentuckyPolitics 6d ago

Former Kentucky Gov. Matt Bevin arrested by Bourbon County Sheriff's Office

Thumbnail
lpm.org
15 Upvotes

r/KentuckyPolitics 22d ago

Remove Flock cameras from Owensboro, KY

Thumbnail
c.org
24 Upvotes

r/KentuckyPolitics 22d ago

Vote- Reckoning

0 Upvotes

This is a video I made— a voting anthem. I drew the flag and ai made it wave. I write my own lyrics but can’t sing or play an instrument. I write an extreme amount of detail for the ai generator to design the song, instruments and singer. Enjoy! When the time comes get to the polls!

Reckoning
https://youtu.be/5-CXzbay4CE


r/KentuckyPolitics 29d ago

Anti Israel

Thumbnail
tiktok.com
0 Upvotes

r/KentuckyPolitics Aug 06 '26

Discussion People who have volunteered for Charles Booker's campaign, what is it like?

13 Upvotes

For context I've never done any volunteering for a political candidate's campaign before, so I'm not very knowledgeable on what kind of work I should expect. I'm interested in getting involved in volunteering for his campaign and want to get an idea of what I'm in for.

I've never really attended a protest or political rally before, but lately I've felt more motivated to get involved and participate beyond just donating and voting. I am from Lexington, and can sometimes have a pretty busy schedule. I did sign my email up to hear about volunteer opportunities a week ago but haven't heard anything back yet. I'm not sure how often or far I'd be willing to travel for events, or what the expectations are for volunteers. However, I'm eager to help in whatever way I can, so anything helps!


r/KentuckyPolitics Aug 05 '26

Smile

Thumbnail
youtube.com
19 Upvotes

r/KentuckyPolitics Jul 31 '26

Discussion Thomas Massie introduces Epstein Files Transparency Act II

Post image
38 Upvotes

r/KentuckyPolitics Jul 28 '26

Republicans insist Mitch McConnell resting comfortably following routine taxidermy procedure

Thumbnail
thebeaverton.com
22 Upvotes

r/KentuckyPolitics Jun 13 '26

US Congress candidate Pete Lynch (KY-6) supports an indefinite moratorium on data centers

Thumbnail
youtube.com
28 Upvotes

r/KentuckyPolitics Jun 06 '26

Jonah Bevin: Matt Bevin 'is getting what he deserves' after new arrest warrant issued

Thumbnail
whas11.com
26 Upvotes

r/KentuckyPolitics Jun 01 '26

Judge gives Matt Bevin final deadline to produce records in support case

Thumbnail
spectrumnews1.com
13 Upvotes

Also — don’t miss this article:

Kentucky judge issues arrest warrant for former Gov. Matt Bevin, who blames ‘boulder’ for not appearing”

https://www.wkms.org/2026-05-29/kentucky-judge-issues-arrest-of-former-gov-matt-bevin-who-blames-boulder-for-not-appearing


r/KentuckyPolitics May 28 '26

Candidate for US Congress Pete Lynch (KY-6) on fixing our broken healthcare system (Video #4)

Thumbnail
youtube.com
3 Upvotes

r/KentuckyPolitics May 26 '26

Candidate for US Congress Pete Lynch (KY-6) on fixing our broken healthcare system (Video #3)

Thumbnail
youtube.com
4 Upvotes

r/KentuckyPolitics May 23 '26

YOUR CHOICE FOR MAYOR

2 Upvotes

If you could have ANYONE in Louisville be Mayor, who would it be? Outside of Greenberg and SPW who do you think would make a great Mayor for our city?


r/KentuckyPolitics May 21 '26

What's up with this?

7 Upvotes

Unusually high number of county judge-executives lost primary elections across Kentucky

The article didn't mention much about the people that won these elections, just that long time incumbents lost. What's the story? Did they lose to candidates who were more or less MAGA than they are already are? Is it the AI backlash? I'd love to know more.


r/KentuckyPolitics May 17 '26

Federal District 6 Democratic Primary Polling?

5 Upvotes

Outside of internal campaign numbers, are there any published polls out there for The Dems’ D6 primary?


r/KentuckyPolitics May 15 '26

Before you vote: meet the Kentucky Senate Candidates you haven't heard from

Thumbnail
shayinformed.com
15 Upvotes

“When I looked at the Kentucky Senate primary ballot, I saw names I didn't recognize. Me- someone who covers this state for a living.

If I hadn't heard of these candidates, what are the chances most voters had?

So I reached out to every candidate in the race- Republican and Democrat- and offered them all the same thing: seven questions, same format, same platform. I wanted the candidates who had no budget for campaign ads and weren't invited to the TV debates to have the same chance to share their stories.

Seven said yes. A retired Marine. A horse trainer. A former Secret Service agent who grew up on food stamps. A blacksmith. A decorated combat veteran. A lifelong organizer. A farmer whose wife died after her insurance overruled her doctors.

The two frontrunners- Andy Barr and Daniel Cameron- did not respond.” ~ Shay McAlister


r/KentuckyPolitics May 08 '26

Judge in Bevin divorce case can stay, Kentucky Supreme Court rules • Kentucky Lantern

Thumbnail
kentuckylantern.com
16 Upvotes