Voter registration in Kentucky rose in advance of this month’s primary election, according to a release from Secretary of State Michael Adams’ office Friday.
The last day eligible voters could register for May’s primary was April 18. From the beginning of April through the deadline, 5,839 new voters were registered – a net gain of 2,657 for the state as 3,182 voters were removed. The removed registrations were mostly due to to deceased voters (2,671), though felony convictions (252), out-of-state relocations (215), voters judged mentally incompetent (23) and voluntary deregistrations (21) were also contributing factors.
There are now a little more than 3.56 million registered voters in the state of Kentucky.
“Although I’m disappointed in the low turnout for our primary election, I’m glad we saw a bump in voter registration and hope this interest continues as we approach November,” Adams said.
Voter turnout in Kentucky for the primary election was around 19%, according to the State Board of Elections. That’s one of the lowest statewide turnouts in a federal midterm election in Kentucky. The past three primaries during federal midterms bested that mark significantly – 24% in 2018, 27% in 2014 and 32% in 2010.
Democrats still hold a slight edge in voter registration as November’s general election approaches, accounting for 45.4% of Kentucky’s electorate with 1,618,061 registrants.
The registered Democrat count increased by a little under 500 while the registered Republican count went up by just over 1,900. Registered Republicans now account for 44.9% of the state’s electorate with a total of 1,599,306 registrants.
The number of Kentuckians registered under other political affiliations totals 342,986, around 9.6% of the electorate. Other registration also increased by 275 before the primary.
