2026 Midterms State GuideKentucky
Hold on to your Ale-8 and Derby hats.
Polls are closed
Polls are closed in Kentucky, and results aren’t finalized yet.
Ballots are still being counted, close races can take days to call, and no result is official until it’s certified.
A prayer for Kentucky
Good Father, we pray for Kentucky as they prepare to vote. Thank You for the privilege voters have to cast their vote for the good of their community. Sharpen their attention, help them see the ballot with Your eyes, and help them vote with both conviction and humility.
Read the whole prayerUpdated
Hi! It’s me, Shadrach. Apparently, I’m your civic guide today. If you’ve been complaining about how things are going (and I’ve heard you... the walls are thin), this guide will help you feel informed and able to vote in this year’s midterms. Now, hold on to your Ale-8 and Derby hats, and let’s get into it.
Kentucky at a glance
Kentucky votes on Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2026, for U.S. Senate, all 6 U.S. House seats and one statewide ballot measure.
- Election Day
- Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2026
- Voter registration
- Oct. 5 (4 p.m.): Voter registration deadline
- Early voting
- Oct. 21 to Oct. 28: In-person early voting (excused only).
- U.S. Senate
- 4 candidates
- U.S. House
- 6 seats
- Statewide ballot measures
- 1
What happens next
The counting continues
Election-night numbers are unofficial. Mail, provisional, and military ballots are still being counted, so close races can take days to call.
Officials double-check the count
Local election officials review the ballots and the tallies (the canvass). A very close race can go to a recount.
Kentucky certifies the results
Results become official once Kentucky certifies them, usually a few weeks after Election Day.
Winners take office
The new Congress takes office in early January. Governors and other state officials take office on dates set by state law, most of them in January too.
Important dates
- May 19Primaries This date has passed.
- Oct. 5 (4 p.m.)Voter registration deadline This date has passed.
- Oct. 20Absentee ballot request deadline (online portal closes at 11:59 p.m.) This date has passed.
- Oct. 21 to Oct. 28In-person early voting (excused only). This date has passed.
- Oct. 29 to Oct. 31In-person early voting (no excuse required) This date has passed.
- Nov. 3Election Day, polls open 6 a.m. to 6 p.m.; absentee ballots due by 6 p.m. This date has passed.
What’s at stake
The Bluegrass State has the quietest ballot in its region: forecasters rank the Senate race solidly Republican, no House seat is competitive, and there’s no governor’s race this cycle. The current governor, Andy Beshear, is a Democratic outlier in an otherwise deep-red state, boasting a 65% approval rating and putting him among the most-popular governors in the nation. Otherwise, voters have per-usual pocketbook concerns: 39% of voters named the economy as the most important issue facing Kentucky today. Below that, 15% of voters thought healthcare was most pressing, then threats to democracy (14%), housing affordability (10%), and education (8%).
Who’s on your ballot
Tap a race to see the candidates.
- Get to know ’em
Christopher CampbellKentucky Party - Thomas MurphyIndependent
Write-in
All U.S. House of Representatives seats are up for election every two years. Find your district here.
- Shadrach’s big picture
Kentuckians will elect six candidates to represent them in the House. Republicans are expected to hold five of those seats.
- Open seats
Two: Rep. Thomas Massie (KY-4) was defeated in the primaries by Trump-backed Ed Gallrein, and Rep. Andy Barr (KY-6) is running for Senate.
- Competitive districts
None of Kentucky’s districts are considered competitive (KY-3 is solidly Democrat, KY-6 is likely Republican, and the rest are solidly red). Candidates in both parties filed to run in all six districts, so no district is guaranteed to either party, but no House seat has crossed party lines since 2012.
Statewide ballot measures
1 to read before you go. Tap one to open it.
This amendment would prohibit the governor from pardoning or commuting sentences from 60 days before a gubernatorial (governor) election until the 5th Tuesday after the election. It also makes the language in this section gender neutral. Currently, the only limitation on governor pardoning power is that he/she cannot pardon or reprieve impeachments.
Voting yessupports barring the governor from pardoning or commuting sentences from 60 days before a governor’s election until the 5th Tuesday after it, and making the section’s language gender neutral.Voting noopposes this constitutional amendment, keeping the governor free to pardon or commute sentences at any time, including right around an election (the only current limit is on impeachments).
Also on the ballot
Other races Kentucky voters will decide.
- State Senate
- State House
- State Supreme Court
- Intermediate appellate courts
- School boards
- Municipal government
Whose job is it?
Ten things government does. Tap the office that does each one.
Whose job is it to…
1 of 10
Declare a state of emergency after a hurricane or flood?
Pass it on
Know someone voting in Kentucky?
Send them the guide. It takes one tap, and it saves them an evening of arguing in a group chat.
A prayer for Kentucky
Good Father, we pray for Kentucky as they prepare to vote. Thank You for the privilege voters have to cast their vote for the good of their community. Sharpen their attention, help them see the ballot with Your eyes, and help them vote with both conviction and humility.
May candidates campaign with integrity. Remind them that the office is not a mere prize to be won, but a profound responsibility to steward carefully. If they win, surround them with wise counsel and guide them toward decisions that serve their constituents. For those who lose, bring comfort and give them grace for their actions.
Draw near to all tempted toward anxiety, anger, or despair. Guard their hearts with a peace that this political moment cannot give. No candidate or ballot decision usurps Your sovereignty or thwarts Your good purposes.
Amen.