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Secretary of State
Voter Registration Figures Set for Primary Election
(Frankfort, KY) – Kentucky will have 2,851,996 citizens appear on its voter rolls for the May 18th primary election. That is slightly lower than the record set during the 2008 general election, which totaled 2,906,809. There were 2,857,231 citizens registered to vote in the 2008 primary election and 2,709,959 in the 2006 primary, the most recent comparable election cycle.
“We are confident that Kentucky has one of the best voter registration databases in the country, and these registration figures reflect our efforts to ensure a fair and honest election in the Commonwealth,” stated Secretary of State Trey Grayson. “While we would like to see these numbers increase to historic levels, we must also be mindful that our voter rolls must be continually updated to reflect those voters who are deceased, have moved away, or must be removed from the rolls for other lawful reasons.”
The registration totals are a net decrease of 54,843 voters from those who were registered to vote in the 2008 general election, decreasing the voter rolls by 1.89%. In comparison, voter registration figures increased by a net of 16,333, or 0.58%, from the 2007 general election to the 2008 primary.
Registration figures continued to show little change in the percentage of male and female voters with females representing nearly 53% of the registration population and males representing 47%. In terms of party registration, Democrats, Republicans, and “Others” decreased their number of registered voters by 2.65%, 0.85%, and 0.91% since November of 2008, respectively. Democrats decreased their voters by 44,082 to 1,618,011. Republicans decreased their voters by 8,999 to 1,044,872. “Others” decreased their voters by 1,732 to 189,113.
Republicans and “Others” increased their percentages of the Kentucky voter rolls as they now comprise 36.64% and 6.63% of Kentucky voters, respectively. That is an increase of 0.38% and 0.06% since the 2008 general election, respectively. Democrats saw their percentage decrease 0.41% since the 2008 general election to 56.77%. Those percentages have set records in modern Kentucky history with Republicans and Independents being higher than ever before and Democrats being lower.
Compared to the 2006 primary election registration figures, there has been a net increase of 142,007 in total voters, or 5.24%; 69,568 in Democratic voters, or 4.49%; 55,373 in Republican voters, or 5.60%; and 17,096 “other” voters, or 9.94%. Democrats, Republicans, and “Others” represented 57.14%, 36.51%, and 6.35% of the electorate in May of 2006, respectively. Since May of 2006, the percentage of the electorate has changed -0.37% for Democrats, 0.13% for Republicans, and 0.28% for “Others” as compared to current percentages of Kentucky registered voters.
Secretary Grayson noted that the election’s focus now shifts to getting people to the polls on Election Day. “Now that the registration books are closed, we must work diligently to see that every registered Kentuckian votes in the May 18, 2010 primary.”
Grayson encouraged citizens to utilize the Voter Information Center (VIC) on the State Board of Election’s website to confirm their voter registration status, determine whether they are eligible to vote in the primary, and to locate their polling place. For complete registration statistics and additional election information or to access the VIC, please visit www.elect.ky.gov.
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