(FRANKFORT, Ky.) — Kentucky’s voter registration numbers continued their upward trajectory last month, with more than 5,000 new registrants added to the rolls even without a state election on the calendar, Secretary of State Michael Adams announced Thursday.
The November increase comes as a surprise to some political observers, occurring during an off-year when voter engagement typically wanes.
“Despite the exhaustion many voters now feel with this era of politics, that has not stopped them from registering to vote in significant numbers, even in a year when we don’t vote,” Adams said in a statement.
The state removed 3,748 voters from the rolls during the month for various reasons, including 2,982 deceased individuals, 385 felony convicts, and 259 residents who moved out of state. Additional removals included 65 people adjudged mentally incompetent, 26 who voluntarily de-registered, 19 duplicate registrations, and 12 non-citizens.
Republicans maintained their lead in voter registration, holding 48 percent of the electorate with 1,595,408 registered voters — a net gain of 2,412 voters, or 0.15 percent growth for the month. Democrats account for 41 percent of Kentucky’s registered voters at 1,379,958, though the party saw a decline of 1,914 registrants, representing a 0.14 percent decrease.
Voters registered with other political affiliations, primarily independents, make up 11 percent of the electorate at 371,955 registrants. That category grew by 1,209 voters in November, a 0.33 percent increase.
