Mail-In Absentee Voting

Per KRS 117.085 - Except for covered voters as described in #6 below and medical emergencies occurring within fourteen (14) days of the primary or general election, absentee mail-in ballots must be requested through the KY State Board of Elections secure online portal no later than 11:59 p.m. local time, fourteen (14) days before the primary or general election in which a voter wants to vote. If you qualify to cast a mail-in ballot for one of the reasons below you may access the portal at www.govoteky.com.  The absentee ballot tab will not be available until forty-five (45) days before the date of the primary or general election.

 

Kentucky state law requires voters to have a qualifying excuse in order to cast an absentee ballot by mail.  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)

 

The online absentee request portal will be open April 1 – May 2 for the May 16, 2023 Primary Election.  All requests must be made by 11:59 p.m. on May 2, 2023.

If you would like to return your absentee mail-in ballot in person, you can drop it in the Elections Department’s drop box located at 2800 Louisa Street, Catlettsburg between 8:30am – 4pm.

The ballot must be received via mail or dropped off by 6pm on May 16, 2023 (Election Day).

 

If you qualify for a mail-in ballot and have any problems completing and submitting your application on the portal, please call our office for assistance at 606-739-5116, extension #3

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