Primary Elections

What is a Primary election and why should I vote in one?

A Primary Election takes place several months before the General Election in a given year. For each office, the two candidates that get the most votes in the primary will advance to the General Election.

Primaries are important! Voters tend to participate less in the primaries, which means candidates are elected by a smaller, less representative percentage of the population. This isn’t ideal for a competitive race or a healthy democracy. More voters need to participate in Primary elections to help ensure that candidates represent the true interests of a community.

In 2024, Lexington has just the District Councilemembers running for office in nonpartisan races.

Who is running in Lexington’s primary?

Lexington is divided into 12 Council Districts. Each district is represented by one District Council member.

Not every Council district will have a primary — only the districts or races with more than two candidates will be on your ballot for May 21st. Districts 1, 4, and 7 will have a primary election while districts 2, 3, 5, 6, 8, 9 10, 11, and 12 will not. If you live in one of the latter districts, however, you should still plan to vote on May 17th. There are still State and Federal offices on your ballot— so your vote still matters a lot!

You can read more about all of the primary candidates by selecting a district in the drop down menu at the top of this website, or find the entire filed candidate list here.

 

How do I vote in the 2024 Primary?

Election Day is May 21st, 2024. You must be registered to vote by April 22nd.

Here’s how to vote:

    • A document issued by Kentucky that contains both the voters’ name and photograph

    • A document issued by the US government that contains both the voters’ name and photograph

    • A document issued by the US Department of Defense, a branch of the uniformend services, the Merchant Marines, or the KY National Guard that contains both the voter’s name and photograph

    • A document issued by a public or private college, university, or postgraduate technical or professional school located within the United States that contains both the voter’s name and photograph

    • A document issued by any city government, county government, urban-county government, consolidated local government, or unified local government, located in KY that contains both the voter’s name and photograph

  • Any registered voter of the county may cast their ballot in person on the day of the primary election at their assigned voting location OR any of the library voting centers between 6:00 a.m. and 6:00 p.m. Voters must be in line by 6:00 p.m. in order to cast their ballots.

    Find your voting location

    You may also cast your ballot at any of the library voting centers:

    • Beaumont Branch Library

    • Central Library

    • Eastside Branch Library

    • Northside Branch Library

    • Tates Creek Library

    • Marksbury Family Branch Library

  • If you have not requested a mail-in absentee ballot, you may vote on May 16th-18th from 8:30am-4:30pm at any of the following locations:

    • Beaumont Branch Library

    • Central Library

    • Eastside Branch Library

    • Northside Branch Library

    • Tates Creek Library

    • Marksbury Family Branch Library

  • Military personnel, their dependents, and citizens who live overseas (temporarily or indefinitely) are permitted to cast an absentee ballot in one of the following ways:

    1. The qualified voter may cast his/her ballot during the in-person absentee period if the voter will be absent from the county on Election Day, or if the voter learns he/she will be confined to a military base within the county on Election Day.

    2. The qualified voter may apply for an absentee ballot that may be mailed, faxed, or emailed to the voter at his/her request.

    Qualified voters may apply using the State Board of Elections Military and Overseas Voters Portal or by submitting a Federal Post Card Application (FPCA)

    **All applications must reach the County Clerk’s office seven (7) days prior to the election. The ballot must be returned by mail and reach the office no later than 6:00 p.m. on Election Day.**

  • In-Person Absentee Voting with a Qualifying Excuse

    • Any registered voter of the county with a qualifying excuse who has not requested a mail-in absentee ballot may cast their in-person absentee ballot at the Fayette County Clerk’s Office, 162 E. Main St., on one of the following days between 8:00 am and 4:30 pm:

      • May 8th - 10th & 13th - 15th

    • Qualifying excuses are:

      • The voter is a Kentucky resident who is a member of the Uniformed Services and their dependents, or voter who is residing overseas (temporarily or permanently) who will be absent from the county on election day and during the days of no-excuse in-person absentee voting

      • The voter or the voter's spouse has surgery scheduled that will require hospitalization on election day and during the days of no-excuse in-person absentee voting

      • The voter is temporarily residing outside the state but is still eligible to vote in this state (this includes vacationers) and will be absent from the county on election day and during the days of no-excuse in-person absentee voting

      • The voter will be confined to a military base on election day and during the days of no-excuse in-person absentee voting

      • The voter is in their last trimester of pregnancy

      • The voter is unable to appear at the polls on election day and during the days of no-excuse in-person voting due to age, disability, or illness

      • The voter is a student who temporarily resides outside their county of residence and will be absent from that county on the day of the election and during the days of no-excuse in-person absentee voting

      • The voter is employed in an occupation that is scheduled to work during all days and all hours the polls are open on election day and during the days of no-excuse in-person absentee voting

      • The voter is an election officer tasked with election administration for the current election cycle

  • Kentucky state law requires voters to have a qualifying excuse in order to cast an absentee ballot by mail.  Except for covered voters as described in #6 below and medical emergencies occurring within fourteen (14) days of the primary or general election.

    The absentee portal will be open for the Primary Election April 6th - May 7th. All requests must be made by 11:59 p.m. on May 7, 2024. All ballots must reach the Fayette County Clerk's office by 6:00 p.m. on election day to be counted. If you qualify to cast a mail-in ballot for one of the reasons below you may request an absentee ballot here.  

    The following voters qualify to apply for a mail-in ballot:

    1.  A voter who due to age, disability, or illness will be unable to go to the polls on election day or during walk-in absentee voting

    2.  A student who temporarily resides outside the county in which he/she is registered to vote

    3.  A voter who temporarily resides outside the state but who is still eligible to vote in this state (this includes vacationers)

    4.  A voter who is incarcerated in jail who has been charged with a crime but has yet to be convicted of the crime

    5.  A voter whose employment location requires him/her to be absent from the county on election day and all hours and days in-person absentee voting is conducted

    6.  Covered Voters as defined in KRS 117A.010 - These voters are Members of the Armed Forces and their dependents who will be out of the county on election day and voters residing overseas (temporarily or permanently)

    7.  A voter who is a participant in the Office of the Secretary of State's address confidentiality program

    8.  A voter who moved, or is moving, to a different state while the new state's registration books are closed before a Presidential Election (Presidential only ballot)

 

What else do I need to know?

You have rights as a voter!

  • If the polls close while you’re still in line, stay in line – you have the right to vote.

  • If you make a mistake on your ballot, ask for a new one.

You can call the Election Protection Hotline if you have any problems or questions on Election Day:

More great info from Election Protection about what to do if:

    • Ask the poll worker to double check the list and spell out your name for them.

    • If your name isn’t on the list, ask if there is a supplemental list of voters.

      If the poll worker still can’t find your name, confirm you are at the correct polling place:

    • Request that the poll worker check a statewide system to see if you are registered to vote at a different location.

    • If they don’t have access to a statewide system, ask them to call the main election office.

    You can also call 1-866-OUR-VOTE and ask for help verifying your proper polling place.

    • If you are registered at a different location, in most instances you will have to travel to that location to cast a regular ballot.

    • If the poll worker still can’t find your name, or if you can’t travel to the correct polling place, ask for a provisional ballot.

    • If you are turned away or denied a provisional ballot, call the Election Protection Hotline at 1-866-OUR-VOTE or 1-888-VE-Y-VOTA (en Español)

    Report your experience to local election officials here

    • Under federal law, all polling places for federal elections must be fully accessible to older adults and voters with disabilities. Simply allowing curbside voting is not enough to meet Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) accessibility requirements.

    • In federal elections, every polling place must have at least one voting system that allows voters with disabilities to vote privately and independently. Usually, this is a machine that can read the ballot to you (for people with vision disabilities or dyslexia), and let you vote by pushing buttons (for people with mobility disabilities).

    • Under federal law, voters with disabilities and voters who have difficulty reading or writing English have the right to receive in-person help at the polls from the person of their choice. This helper cannot be the voter’s employer, an agent of the voter’s employer, or an agent or officer of the voter’s union. The helper must respect the voter’s privacy, not looking at the voter’s ballot unless the voter asks them to do so.

    • Election officials (including poll workers) must make reasonable accommodations as needed to help you vote.

    • Election officials must provide you with help if it’s possible for them to do so.

    • A voter with a mental disability cannot be turned away from the polls because a poll worker thinks they are not ‘qualified’ to vote.

    What to do

    • You can bring a family member, friend, or another person of your choice to assist you at the polls. Do not bring your employer, or an agent of your employer or union.

    • If you bring a person to assist you, let the poll workers know that when you check in. They may ask you to swear under oath that you have a disability and that you have asked that person to help you. Your helper may also be required to sign a form swearing that they did not tell you how to vote.

    • If there are long lines and you have a physical or mental health condition or disability that makes it difficult for you to stand in line, tell a poll worker.

    • Tell election officials what you need. For example, if it’s hard for you to stand, they should provide you with a chair or a place to sit while you wait. If the crowds or noise are hard for you, election officials can find a quiet place for you to wait and call you when it’s your turn to vote.

    • If you are not able to enter your polling place because the pathway to it is not fully accessible, ask poll workers for curbside assistance. You can also call 1-866-OUR-VOTE to report the issue.

    • If you have difficulty using the materials provided to make your ballot selections, review, or cast your ballot, let a poll worker know and ask for the help you need. Accessibility is the law.

    If you face any challenges in voting privately and independently or are unable to cast your vote, report the problem to the Election Protection hotline at 1-866-OUR-VOTE. Trained attorneys can assist you and make sure that other voters do not experience the same problem.

    • Under federal law, voters who have difficulty reading or writing English may receive in-person assistance at the polls from the person of their choice. This person cannot be the voter’s employer, an agent of the voter’s employer, or an agent or officer of the voter’s union.

    What to do

    • You can bring a family member, friend, or other person of your choice to assist you at the polls. Do not bring your employer, or an agent of your employer or union.

    If you have trouble voting due to lack of English fluency, call one of these hotlines:

    Spanish: 1-888-VE-Y-VOTA / 1-888-839-8682

    Arabic: 1-844-YALLA-US / 1-844-925-5287

    English: 1-866-OUR-VOTE / 1-866-687-8683.

    Bengali, Cantonese, Hindi, Urdu, Korean, Mandarin, Tagalog, Vietnamese): 1-888-API-VOTE / 1-888-274-8683

  • It is illegal to interfere with elections by -

    • Aggressively questioning voters about their citizenship, criminal record, or other qualifications to vote.

    • Falsely representing oneself as an elections official.

    • Displaying false or misleading signs about voter fraud and related criminal penalties.

    • Other forms of harassment, like targeting non-English speakers and voters of color.

    • Spreading false information about voter requirements.

    Remember -

    • You do not need to speak English to vote, in any state.

    • You do not need to pass a test to vote, in any state.

    What to do if you have trouble voting

    • You can give a sworn statement to the poll worker that you satisfy the qualifications to vote in your state, and then proceed to cast a ballot.

    • Report intimidation to the Election Protection Hotline at 1-866-OUR-VOTE or 1-888-VE-Y-VOTA (en Español).

    Report intimidation to your local election