Kentuckians to vote on school choice, election security

STATE STATS

Voter makeup:

As of the May primary, nearly 3.5 million Kentucky residents were registered to vote. Republicans hold a solid edge over Democrats, with 1.6 million voters registered as Republicans and 1.5 million as Democrats. GOP presidential candidates have won the state’s eight electoral votes in every presidential election since 2000. According to The Cook Political Report, Kentucky was 16 percentage points more Republican than the national average as of 2022.

Voting:

While absentee voting is enshrined in the state’s constitution, Kentucky has expanded its in-person voting options. In 2021, the state legislature added three days of no-excuse early voting before state and federal elections.

Kentuckians can vote by mail only if they are unable to vote in person on Election Day and available early-voting days.

A photo ID such as a driver’s license is required when voting in person.

Voter registration ends on Oct. 7, 28 days before the general election.

PRESIDENTIAL

While 60 percent of registered voters turned out in the 2020 primary elections, fewer than 13 percent went to the polls this May.

Trump won 85 percent of the votes cast, while about 6 percent went to former UN Ambassador Nikki Haley. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis won another 3 percent.

Support was down for President Joe Biden, who won 71 percent of the Democratic vote with a little more than 130,000 votes in this primary election. Nearly 18 percent of Democrats chose the “uncommitted” option on their ballot, compared to 3.5 percent of Republicans. In 2020, Biden won the Democratic primary with 365,000 votes—68 percent of the total.

In the 2020 general election, Trump carried the state with a 25-point margin of 1.3 million votes to Biden’s 772,000.

U.S. HOUSE

For many Kentuckians, there were only two races on the 2024 primary ballot—for president and Congress. That is because Kentucky holds many of its state-level races in off-year elections.

Kentucky has six congressional districts, five held by Republicans and one in Louisville by a Democrat. The website 270toWin estimates that all seats are safe for incumbents. Republicans are running unopposed in two districts in northern and eastern Kentucky.

JUDICIAL ELECTIONS

Kentucky has a seven-seat state Supreme Court of nonpartisan judges elected to eight-year terms. The seat for the high court’s 5th District, which includes Lexington and Frankfort, has two contenders who advanced to the general election without a primary contest. Chief Justice Laurance B. VanMeter is retiring from his seat in the 5th District after his term ends on January 2025. The justices will choose the next chief justice after the winner is seated.

BALLOT MEASURES

Kentucky is one of 24 states that does not grant voters the right to initiate ballot measures. Instead, the legislature decides which issues to put on the ballot. While races for office will not likely be competitive in November, Kentucky’s two ballot issues will. State law requires a 60 percent vote to pass ballot measure legislation.

• Kentucky Allow State Funding for Non-Public Education Amendment: In April, the state legislature approved a ballot initiative to amend the state’s constitution to allow private and charter schools to receive state funding. Kentucky’s constitution allows public funds for “common schools, and to no other purpose.”

Democrats and Gov. Andy Beshear oppose moving some funds from public schools to private and charter schools, while most—though not all—state Republicans favor giving parents a larger role in deciding where education dollars go.

• Kentucky Citizenship Requirement for Voting Amendment: Kentucky Republicans also proposed a constitutional amendment to clarify that noncitizens are barred from voting in the state.

Proponents say the change is necessary because the rise in illegal immigration in recent years could lead to local ordinance changes to allow noncitizens to vote. States such as Maryland and cities like San Francisco already allow noncitizens to vote for school board and some local offices.

Opponents say there’s no evidence that noncitizen voting is a problem in Kentucky, so it is unnecessary to amend the constitution to address it.

Dig deeper:

• Listen to Leo Briceno’s report on the House of Representatives’ push to require proof of citizenship to vote in federal elections.

• Read Travis Kircher’s report on the Kentucky legislature’s debate over religious freedom protections.

• Read Josh Schumacher’s report on an online child protection bill Gov. Andy Beshear signed this year.

Leo Briceno reports on Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., stepping down from leadership after the November election.

Visit the WORLD Election Center 2024 to follow our state-by-state coverage between now and November.