Secretary of State
News Release: Secretary of State Trey Grayson Declares September 2010 National Voter Registration Month

Grayson Calls for Increased Awareness for October 4th Voter Registration Deadline & Election Registration Resources

(Frankfort, KY) –Secretary of State Trey Grayson today joined fellow members of the National Association of Secretaries of States (NASS), which represents chief state election officials in 39 states, in declaring September 2010 National Voter Registration Month.  Grayson is working with Kentucky’s local election administrators to make the state’s 3.3 million eligible voters aware of registration deadlines and requirements for this year’s general election, as well as promoting state resources to help with the registration process.

“National Voter Registration Month gives citizens, civic groups, and political parties an easy way to engage citizens in the democratic process.  I am hopeful that through the efforts of these groups and individuals, we will see a record number of voters registered in Kentucky,” commented Grayson.

The deadline to register for the upcoming election is Monday, October 4, 2010.  County Clerks’ offices throughout Kentucky will accept voter registration cards until the close of business that day.  A postmark of October 4, 2010 is also required for all mail-in voter registration applications. Registration cards can be obtained over the internet at www.vote.ky.gov/register. 

To be a registered voter in Kentucky, you must: be a U.S. citizen, be a resident of Kentucky, be at least 18 years of age on or before November 2^nd, not be a convicted felon, or if you have been convicted of a felony, your civil rights must have been restored by executive pardon, have not been judged “mentally incompetent” in a court of law and have your voting rights removed, and not claim the right to vote anywhere outside Kentucky.

NASS members established National Voter Registration Month to encourage voter participation and to increase awareness of state voter registration requirements and deadlines. More than half of all states (plus the District of Columbia) have a deadline that falls on October 4 or 5, about a month before the November 2 general election. 

According to U.S. Census figures, 60 million eligible voters did not register to vote in 2008.  Of the non-voters that year, fourteen percent said they did not vote because they missed their state’s voter registration deadline.

"Now is the time to get registered to vote. The process is easier, faster and more convenient than ever before," said NASS President Matt Dunlap, Maine secretary of state.  “In most states, you can also check your voter registration status online to make sure that your information is up-to-date. This is really critical for people who have recently moved, changed their name or had their voting rights restored under the law. It is also required for people who wish to switch their party affiliation. If anything is outdated or incorrect, there is time to get it straightened out with your local election office, so you can still vote in the November election.”

Forty states, plus the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico, offer voter registration lookups designed to help voters check their registration status online. Kentucky citizens can check their status at the Voter Information Center via www.vote.ky.gov/vic.

New for this year, NASS and Tangent Media LLC have released a Can I Vote widget that allows internet users in Kentucky and throughout the U.S. to directly access official, nonpartisan registration and voting information that is specific to where they live in a simple, portable format.  It functions much like the association’s Can I Vote website, www.canivote.org, which helps connect users to state and local election websites with voting forms, online tools, election official contact information, and more.

As part of his initiative to draw greater attention to civic literacy and engagement, Secretary Grayson, a former Co-Chair of the National Association of Secretaries of State’s Voter Participation Committee, previously asked the legislature to deem October Kentucky civics month to follow upon Voter Registration Month.  Civics month is part of the Civic Literacy Initiative of Kentucky, a multi-year effort to increase the civic literacy and engagement of Kentucky’s citizens.  The effort has been recognized as one of the top in the nation for its efforts.  For more information about the initiative, visit: www.civics.ky.gov.

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