‘Other’ wins the day as most newly registered voters in July

Published 1:00 pm Friday, September 2, 2022

Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

While registered Republicans recently edged out registered Democrats in Kentucky, the GOP was not the recipient of the most newly registered voters in July, according to Secretary of State Michael Adams.

Kentucky voter registration as Independent, or under other political affiliations, outpaced the two major parties, during that time, as “Other” registration grew at more than double the rate of Republican or Democrat registration.

“Political allegiances are in flux,” Adams said.  “Republicans recently took the lead in voter registration from Democrats, but there’s more to the story, as many voters now do not affiliate with either party. Any candidate for statewide office needs to not just hold the base, but also reach out to others.”

Overall, Kentucky voter registration increased by 5,995 voters in July, even though 3,796 voters were removed from the rolls.  There were 2,624 deceased voters, 798 voters convicted of felonies, 330 voters who moved out of state, 23 adjudged mentally incompetent, and 21 who voluntarily de-registered., according to the Secretary of State’s office.

Email newsletter signup

Breaking down the numbers by party affiliation, Republican registrants account for 45.2 percent of the electorate, with 1,615,178 voters.  Republican registration increased by 3,118 voters in July, a 0.19 percent increase.

Democratic registrants account for 45.0 percent of the electorate, with 1,606,843 voters.  Democratic registration decreased by 2,726 voters, a 0.17 percent decrease.

Kentuckians registered under other political affiliations account for 9.7 percent of the electorate, with 347,481 voters. Other registration increased by 1,807 voters, a 0.52 percent increase.

The last day you can register to vote so you can participate in the November General election is October 11.  You can do it in person at your county clerk’s office, by mail to your county clerk’s office (must be postmarked by October 11), or online, at https://vrsws.sos.ky.gov/ovrweb/.