By Tom Latek
Kentucky Today
Secretary of State Michael Adams announced Kentuckians registering under “other” political affiliations have led new voter registration for the fifth month in a row.
Net new others outpaced net new Republicans by a nearly 3-to-1 margin, while Democrats continue to hemorrhage voters.
“We see more and more Kentuckians bucking the two-party system,” said Adams, the state’s chief election officer. “This dynamic could make for an interesting 2026 election.”
In July, Kentucky saw the removal of 6,186 voters. Of them, there were 4,958 who were deceased, 538 had moved out of state, 502 of them were convicted felons, 97 had voluntarily de-registered, 59 were adjudicated mentally incompetent by a court, there were 18 duplicate registrations, and 14 who were identified as non-citizens.
Republican registration accounts for 47 percent of the electorate, with 1,584,157 voters. Republican registration rose by 630, a .04 percent increase.
Democratic registration constitutes 42 percent of the electorate, with 1,388,758 voters. Democratic registration fell by 1,524, a .11 percent decrease.
There are 364,539 voters registered under other political affiliations, making up 11 percent of the electorate. “Other” registration grew by 1,792, a .49 percent increase.
Remember, while there is no General Election in Kentucky this year, in 2026, Kentucky voters will have plenty of races where they can voice their choices. Among them, the U.S. Senate seat currently held by Republican Mitch McConnell of Louisville. The 83-year-old, who has been in that office since 1985 and is the longest serving U.S. Senator in Kentucky history, has announced he is not seeking an eighth term.
In addition, Kentucky’s six Congressional seats, all 100 in the Kentucky House and the even-numbered state Senate districts will also appear on the ballot next year.
Other dates to know: the last day to change your political party is Dec. 31, 2025. The filing deadline for the 2026 primary is Jan. 9.
The primary election is May 19, although there will be three days of early in-person voting on Thursday, Friday and Saturday (May 14-16) prior to election day.