Absentee voting now underway for Kentucky’s May primary

FRANKFORT, Ky. (WTVQ)- Absentee voting by mail is now underway for Kentucky’s Primary Election on May 21st.

In-person absentee voting is also open in many counties. All counties should be open for in-person absentee voting no later than Friday, May 3rd, according to Secretary of State, Alison Lundergan Grimes.

“Voting in our elections is both a right and a responsibility,” said Grimes, Kentucky’s Chief Election Official. “If you know you cannot make it to the polls on Election Day, there are a number of options for Kentuckians to cast a ballot, including by mail or in person before Election Day.”

To be qualified to vote by mail-in absentee ballot, a voter must be:

• Advanced in age, disabled, or ill
• Military personnel, their Dependents, or Overseas Citizens
• A student who temporarily resides outside the county
• Temporarily residing outside of Kentucky and who maintains eligibility to vote in Kentucky, such as a “snowbird”
• Incarcerated, but not yet convicted of a crime
• Prevented from voting in person at the polls on election day and from casting an in-person absentee ballot in the county clerk’s office on all days in-person absentee voting is conducted because of his or her employment location
• A participant in the Secretary of State’s Address Confidentiality Program

You may request an absentee ballot application from your county clerk in person or via telephone, fax, or email. The deadline to apply is May 14th. You must complete the ballot and return it by mail. Your county clerk must receive it by 6 p.m. local time on Election Day.

If you are a qualified military or overseas voter, you may use GoVoteKY.com to request and receive a blank absentee ballot.

If you do not qualify to vote by mail-in absentee ballot, you may still be eligible to vote early in person before Primary Election Day. You should contact your county clerk for absentee voting hours. In-person absentee voting closes on May 20, the day before the Primary Election.

Contact your county clerk or call the State Board of Elections at 502-573-7100 with questions or visit . Additional information about absentee voting is also available on the State Board of Elections website.