It’s easy to find an opinion on the internet this election season.
What's harder to find is in-depth coverage of state and local elected offices — the leaders whose influence has the most direct effect on the lives of your family and your neighbors.
Kentucky Public Radio is bridging the information divide this election cycle with a comprehensive voter guide.
KPR comprises four public radio stations that together broadcast across the entire state: WKMS in Murray, WKYU in Bowling Green, WEKU in Richmond and LPM in Louisville. We share a common goal to reach all 120 Kentucky counties with the news they need to stay informed and engaged.
Together, we’ve compiled a guide with information on all of the contested races, ballot amendments and ballot questions about medical marijuana businesses showing up in more than 100 cities and counties.
Why only the contested races? Much as we’d like to background and write about every candidate entering office, this is what we could reasonably accomplish with our resources.
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Want to learn more about how we made it? Click here.
Election Day is Tuesday, Nov. 5, 2024. Polls are open from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. local time. If you are in line at 6:00 p.m., state law says you must be allowed to vote. Find your polling place at www.govote.ky.gov.
- In-person, excused absentee voting: Oct. 23, 24, 25, 28, 29 and 30
- In-person, no excuse absentee voting (early voting): Oct. 31, Nov. 1 and 2
- Last date mail-in absentee ballot will be accepted by the county clerk:
- In-person Election Day voting: Tuesday, Nov. 5 6 a.m. to 6 p.m.
State Representative
The Kentucky House of Representatives is made up of 100 lawmakers who form one of the two chambers of the General Assembly. They have 2-year terms, meaning the entire chamber is up for election every other year. The House is dominated by Republicans with an 80-person majority — the GOP has held control since 2016.
Just like in the U.S. Congress, all budget and tax questions have to start in the House. Perhaps due to its size, the state House tends to be more raucous than the Senate, with lengthier floor debates. Each representative speaks on behalf of approximately 45,000 constituents.
Some of the more contentious races around the state revolve around the suburbs of Kentucky’s remaining blue city centers. A number of Louisville Republicans will fight to hold onto their seats in purple districts and a few Democrats in historically Democratic districts will have to stave off challenges as well.
There were a few upsets in this year’s primary election when a few candidates associated with the “liberty” wing of the party beat out incumbents to be the GOP nominees this year.
Two members of Democratic leadership chose not to run for reelection this year — Minority Floor Leader Derrick Graham and Minority Whip Rachel Roberts. Only 46 of the 100 seats up for reelection this year are contested in the general election.
State Senator
The Kentucky Senate is composed of 38 members who serve 4-year terms. That means half the Senate is up for reelection every two years. Republicans have had control of the chamber since 2000. It’s currently populated by 31 Republicans and seven Democrats. Each senator represents approximately 118,000 constituents.
The senate is led by Senate President Robert Stivers, who is not up for reelection this year. But Floor Leader Damon Thayer chose not to run for reelection, meaning a new leader will be chosen within the Republican Party. Only 10 of the 19 seats up for reelection this year are contested in this year’s general election.
U.S. Representative
Kentucky contains six U.S. House districts, and all six current representatives are running for reelection this year. All but one, Louisville’s Democratic Rep. Morgan McGarvey, are Republicans. With 2-year terms, every member of the U.S. House of Representatives is up for election every other year. Two of those representatives face no challenger in the general election — Rep. Thomas Massie and Rep. Hal Rogers.
The lower chamber of Congress is responsible for originating all revenue or spending bills, a task that has proven difficult in recent years. Republicans hold a narrow majority in the House, holding 220 out of 435 total seats.
Judicial races
Judicial positions get tricky fast because each state has different naming conventions. And just to make matters more confusing, federal titles are also often different — for example, circuit court is not synonymous with the court of appeals like it is on the federal level.
Kentucky Circuit Court judges hear higher cost civil matters (that means more than $5,000), capital offenses, felonies and a few other types of cases. They also have the ability to issue injunctions, an order to stop an action or compel one, and they also have the power to hear appeals. They serve 8-year terms. You might also notice a Circuit Judge for Family Court on your ballot. That’s a special division of the circuit court that handles most all cases involving families and children. That includes the dependency, neglect and abuse (or DNA) docket, child custody cases, divorce court and a lot more.
Unlike circuit judges, District Court judges have a limited jurisdiction, meaning they can’t hear just any type of case. They are limited to things like juvenile cases, local ordinances, misdemeanors and violations, traffic offenses, and small claims court. They serve a 4-year term.
Meanwhile, the Court of Appeals almost only hears cases on appeal from one of the lower courts. They decide whether a trial court came to the right decision, but they do not retry cases entirely. They are placed into three-judge panels and move around the state to hear cases. It’s made up of 14 judges — including Judge Pamela Goodwine who is running for the Supreme Court.
Supreme Court
The Supreme Court of Kentucky, as the name implies, has the final say in interpreting state law. The seven justices that serve on the court have 8-year terms. For the first time in Kentucky history, more than half of the court will be made up of women after the conclusion of this election, regardless of who wins, joining 18 other states with majority female Supreme Court benches.
This year, candidates to fill the seat left vacant by current Chief Justice Laurance Van Meter have been accused of inserting party politics into a nonpartisan race, especially Court of Appeals Judge Pamela Goodwine who has secured the endorsement of Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear.
The Supreme Court is also in charge of creating the ethical guidelines for judges and judicial candidates that govern the Judicial Ethics Committee.
This is undoubtedly shaping up to be one of the most expensive races of the year, with candidate and PAC spending reaching close to three quarters of a million dollars. The heavy focus on the state’s top judicial race reflects a national interest in influencing the makeup of state Supreme Courts as more and more partisan issues come down to interpretations of state laws and constitutions.
Commonwealth's Attorney
The commonwealth’s attorney, which is often referred to as a district attorney in other states, is basically the legal representative for Kentuckians in felony cases. In prosecuting crimes, they also have the ability to investigate people, grant immunity from prosecution and offer plea deals. Some represent just one county (like in Jefferson of Fayette counties), but some represent as many as four counties.
The state’s 57 commonwealth’s attorneys serve for a 6-year term. They have the top authority in their district — the state’s attorney general can only intervene (in most circumstances) if the commonwealth’s attorney invites them.
Don’t mistake these for county attorneys, who prosecute typically lower-level offenses, including misdemeanors and violations, as well as juvenile issues. Those are separate positions.
Amendment 1
Amendment 1 seeks to bar noncitizens from voting in Kentucky elections — although noncitizens are already not allowed to vote in Kentucky elections. Federal law also already bans noncitizens from voting in federal races, like presidential or Congressional races.
At least 18 U.S. localities currently allow legal noncitizens to vote exclusively in some local elections, according to Reuters, but none of those are located in Kentucky.
Section 145 of the Kentucky Constitution says that “every citizen of the United States of the age of eighteen years who has resided in the state one year, and in the county six months, and the precinct in which he offers to vote sixty days next preceding the election, shall be a voter in said precinct.”
Proponents of the amendment say it needs to be more explicit that noncitizens are prohibited from voting.
Opponents say the amendment could intimidate immigrants who have gained their citizenship from voting and is a political tactic to sow doubt in the elections.
Amendment 2
Shaping up to be the biggest fight, and one of the and one of the more expensive fights, on the ballot this year, Amendment 2 would allow Kentucky lawmakers to redirect public funds to K-12 education outside of public schools. That could include anything from private scholarship tax credits, charter schools, and private school vouchers.
The state legislature already attempted the first two items on that list, but state courts struck them down on constitutional grounds. The Kentucky Constitution is clear: “No sum shall be raised or collected for education other than in common schools until the question of taxation is submitted to the legal voters.”
Now, Republican lawmakers are turning to a constitutional amendment to open the path to so-called “school choice” measures. Proponents say that allowing state dollars to flow to private education would give parents more choices and improve educational outcomes in the state.
Opponents, which include teacher unions, and some Kentucky superintendents, say the policies that the legislature would be allowed to pass under the amendment would lead to less funding for public education, which they say is already underfunded.
Kentucky Attorney General Russell Coleman has weighed in to say that public schools could not spend any public resources on issues before voters like Amendment 2. He also filed a brief arguing county-level Republican executive committees have a First Amendment right to spend money advocating for constitutional amendments on the ballot.
Medical Cannabis
More than 100 cities and counties added a question to the ballot, letting voters decide whether businesses should be allowed to operate there as licensed medical marijuana growers, dispensaries, processors or compliance facilities. They’re kind of like “wet/dry votes” on alcohol sales.
Medical Marijuana Status
Regardless of the result of these votes or other local ordinances, patients with a valid medical cannabis card will be able to possess and use their medication. Everyone is still limited by state law, which allows cannabis prescriptions for a limited number of serious medical conditions, including cancer, chronic pain, PTSD, multiple sclerosis, epilepsy and chronic nausea.
Some localities went ahead and decided to opt in or out of the program without a vote. You can see what your county and/or city decided here.