(FRANKFORT, Ky.) — More than 7,000 Kentuckians registered to vote in October despite no election being held, signaling heightened political engagement more than a year before the next major contests, Secretary of State Michael Adams announced Monday.
The state added 7,099 new registered voters last month, a development Adams attributed to growing interest in the 2026 midterm elections, when voters will decide races for Congress, the state General Assembly, and various county and city offices. Constitutional amendments may also appear on the ballot.
“We’re pleased to see Kentuckians tuning in and showing they are eager to vote in 2026,” Adams said in a statement.
The registration gains came even as the state removed 4,799 voters from its rolls in October through routine maintenance procedures. The removals included 3,703 deceased individuals, 565 convicted felons, 379 people who moved out of state, 79 deemed mentally incompetent by a court, 35 who voluntarily canceled their registration, 27 duplicate registrations, and 11 non-citizens.
The October figures show continued Republican growth in Kentucky’s increasingly red electorate. GOP registration increased by 2,736 voters, or 0.17%, bringing total Republican registration to 1,592,996 — representing 48% of all registered voters in the state.
Democratic registration declined by 2,404, or 0.17%, leaving the party with 1,381,872 registered voters, accounting for 41% of the electorate.
Voters registered as independents or under other political affiliations saw the largest percentage growth, rising by 1,968, or 0.53%. That category now includes 370,746 voters, representing 11% of Kentucky’s total electorate.
