Want—or need—to cast your vote early in Kentucky this year?
No stress: The Bluegrass State offers multiple early voting options spanning around two weeks before Election Day.
Voters who meet certain criteria can vote early either with a mail-in absentee ballot or on one of the excused, in-person early voting days. And anyone who is registered to vote in Kentucky can take advantage of no-excuse, in-person voting days.
When is early voting in Kentucky?
Here are the dates for in-person voting for Kentucky’s 2026 general elections.
- Excused in-person voting: Oct. 21, 22, 23 and Oct. 26, 27, 28
- No excuse in-person voting: Oct. 29, 30, 31
- Election Day: Nov. 3
Polls are open on Election Day from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. local time, and as long as you’re in line by 6 p.m., you are allowed to vote.
But the times can be different for early voting days, so your best bet is to check with your county clerk to make sure you show up at the right time.
Where is early voting in Kentucky?
This is critical to know: Early voting locations are often not your typical Election Day polling place.
You can check your voter registration and day-of polling location using the Kentucky Secretary of State’s voter information center portal. More information on where your early voting locations will be will get added to this page on the Secretary of State’s website in the time leading up to the election, so make sure to bookmark it and set a reminder to check back later. Your county clerk’s website should also have information on early voting sites.
How do I qualify for excused in-person voting in Kentucky?
You can vote extra early if you won’t be able to head to the polls during the no-excuse early voting period or on Election Day itself.
This is called “excused in-person voting” and you have to qualify for it.
The Kentucky Secretary of State’s office outlines several specific examples of how someone would be able to vote during this time, and you have to be otherwise unable to vote on Oct. 29, 30, 31 and Nov. 3 in order to vote.
- You’ll be hospitalized due to surgery (or your spouse will be)
- You temporarily live out of state but are still qualified to vote in Kentucky
- You’re a student living outside of the county you’re registered to vote in
- You’re military stationed elsewhere
- You’re in your last trimester of pregnancy
- You’re serving as an election officer this year
- You’re scheduled to work “all days and all hours” during the other in-person voting times, factoring in the time it takes to commute
- You can’t make it to the polls due to age, disability, or illness, and a judge hasn’t declared you mentally disabled (or you’re a caregiver for someone who meets that description)
Who can vote during no-excuse in-person early voting in Kentucky?
Anyone who is registered to vote in Kentucky and hasn’t voted yet can vote during Kentucky’s no-excuse in-person voting days: Oct. 29, 30, 31.
How do I register to vote in Kentucky?
The deadline to register to vote in Kentucky’s 2026 elections is Oct. 5 at 4 p.m. local time. Remember: As long as you’re 18 years old by Nov. 3, you can register to vote.
