2020 General Updates

Absentee ballot

• Kentuckians concerned with contracting or spreading COVID-19 can request an absentee ballot.
• An online portal at GoVoteKy.com allows Kentuckians to request an absentee ballot. Ballots can be requested through the portal through Oct. 9. Voters can also request an absentee ballot from their county clerk.
• Medical emergency absentee ballots requested can continue to be submitted from October 10th through November 3rd via traditional means.
• Absentee ballots returned by mail must be postmarked by Election Day, Nov. 3, and received by Nov. 6.
• Drop boxes will be available for Kentuckians to return their absentee ballots instead of mailing them back. County clerks will determine these locations.

Early voting

• Beginning Oct. 13, three weeks before the election, every weekday between Oct. 13 and Election Day, and every Saturday for at least four hours, every county clerk will provide at least one location for in-person voting.
• Early voting is not absentee voting – anyone can vote early for any reason, and no appointment will be necessary.

Election Day voting

• County election officials are choosing sites for Election Day. The State Board of Elections, Secretary of State and Governor must approve each plan.
• Every county will have at least one vote center, where every voter in the county can vote, regardless of his or her precinct.

Voter identification

Kentuckians who are unable to get a photo ID due to the pandemic because their circuit clerk’s office was closed, or because they were afraid of exposing themselves to COVID-19, can sign a document explaining this concern, produce an approved non-photo ID, and cast their ballot.

Please learn more about what Senate Bill 2, Photo ID to Vote, means for Kentuckians casting their ballot this fall by reading this FAQ.