Primary Elections

Kentucky has a closed primary system. Only voters registered with a party may vote in partisan primary elections. Independent/Other voters can vote in run-off primary elections for nonpartisan offices - such as LFUCG Council, Mayoral, or Judicial races.

 

In order to vote for party candidates in the May 2026 primary election, you must designate your party choice by 11:59 PM on December 31, 2025, unless you are registering in Kentucky for the first time after that date.

 

LWVKY supports a Kentucky primary election system that allows those voters registered as Independent/Other to participate in state-funded partisan primaries.

At the 2023 Annual Meeting, LWVKY voted to undertake a formal study of ranked choice voting and open primary elections.  League studies form the basis for determining official League positions on policy proposals. The Open Primaries Study Committee worked diligently through the summer and fall of 2023 and early 2024, to examine systems used by different states and localities, and the issues posed by primary elections, and to educate the membership on the topic. Through a series of group discussions around the state in March and April, the League determined the consensus position of the membership. Accordingly, in 2024, the LWVKY adopted the position statement, shared by LWV of Lexington, supporting a Kentucky primary election system that allows those voters registered as Independent/Other to participate in state-funded partisan primaries.

Fact Sheet: Semi-Open Primaries: Kentucky

Read the Fact Sheet on Semi-Open Primaries for Kentucky HERE

Open Primaries LWVKY Community Forum with Jeremy Gruber., Senior Vice President at Open Primaries, a national election reform organization.

Watch the recording of LWVKY’s Community Forum on Open Primaries HERE.

Recording of Live Webinar on Open Primaries with Josh Douglas and Trey Grayson

Watch a recording of the LWVKY Open Primaries Webinar on YouTube HERE.