Lexington Votes Tuesday: Polls 6 to 6, Photo ID Rules, and a Senate Seat at the Top
Kentucky's shortest voting day in the region — 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. — decides Mitch McConnell's Senate seat, an open congressional race in the 6th District, and the local ballot in Fayette County.
Election Day in Lexington is Tuesday, Nov. 3, and Kentucky runs the tightest voting window in this part of the country: polls are open from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. local time, and anyone in line at 6 p.m. will be allowed to vote. Fayette County voters cast ballots at their assigned polling locations, which the Fayette County Clerk and the state's GoVoteKY portal can confirm.
Kentucky asks voters to show a photo ID — a driver's license, military or university ID, or another approved photo identification. A voter without a photo ID can still cast a ballot by completing a voter affirmation form and providing an alternative document, such as a Social Security card or another approved ID; poll workers can walk you through the process on site.
Mail ballots face a hard deadline in Kentucky: the county clerk must receive the ballot by 6 p.m. on Election Day — a postmark does not count — so voters still holding one should hand-deliver it rather than mail it at this point.
The top of the Kentucky ballot is historic: the U.S. Senate seat held by Mitch McConnell, who is retiring after more than four decades as Kentucky's longest-serving senator, is contested by Republican Andy Barr and Democrat Charles Booker. Barr's run opened his own seat: the 6th Congressional District — Lexington's district — is a genuine toss-up between Democrat Zach Dembo and Republican Ralph Alvarado.
Down the ballot, Lexington-Fayette voters decide state legislative races, judicial contests and local offices. Kentucky and Indiana are the first states in the nation to close polls, which means Fayette County's results will lead the national evening.
Check your registration and polling place at GoVote.KY.gov before you go, and mind the clock: in Kentucky, Election Day ends at six.
