Research Guides: Kentucky &amp; Local Information: Government and Politics

General Kentucky Government Sites

Kentucky Law

Voter Registration:

You can register online in a few easy steps by clicking the following link: Kentucky Online Voter Registration

You are eligible to vote in Kentucky if you meet the following requirements:

Be a U.S. citizen and a Kentucky resident for at least 28 days before the election
Be at least 18 years old by the next General Election
Not be a convicted felon, or else have had your civil rights restored
Not have been adjudged mentally incompetent and had voting rights removed
Not claim the right to vote outside Kentucky

If you don't meet these requirements, learn how to register in your home state here: Register to Vote in Other States

If you're not sure if you're registered, you can confirm your Registration Status here: Check Your Voter Registration Status

Update your registration with a new address or name, or to change your party affiliation: Kentucky Online Voter Registration

Voting:

In Kentucky, registered voters may vote in person, either during the early voting period before election day or on election day. If you are unable to vote in person during this period, you can request an absentee ballot: Online Absentee Request

More information on voting as a college student in Kentucky.

To check your voter status and find your polling place, visit the Kentucky Voter Information Center

Voter ID: All voters must produce identification at the polling place. More information on the types of identification that can be provided can be found at the following link: SB 2 FAQ.pdf. Your University of Kentucky student identification card is a valid form of identification for voting.

Kentucky Elections (Kentucky Secretary of State's Website)

Political Parties

Democratic Party of Kentucky
Democratic Party
Republican Party of Kentucky
Republican National Committee
Libertarian Party of Kentucky
National Parties (Directory of U.S. Political Parties)
Listing of and links to all third parties that are recognized in the United States.

Executive Branch

Governor's Cabinet

The Governor's Executive Cabinet includes the appointed secretary of the Cabinet plus the secretaries of Kentucky's 11 other executive cabinets. It is responsible for implementing the Governor’s policies and advising the Governor on policy matters affecting the Commonwealth.

-- Cabinet for Economic Development
Provides programs and services for businesses including existing businesses, newly locating companies, start-ups, small and minority businesses, and many others.
-- Education and Workforce Development Cabinet
Charged with preserving Kentucky's heritage, preparing for its future and promoting a statewide culture of lifelong learning through a system of public schools and post secondary institutions, libraries, public television, and workforce training.
-- Energy and Environment Cabinet
Oversees the energy needs of our citizens, developing new methods to deliver energy to residents and businesses while overseeing the stringent regulations that make certain Kentucky’s natural beauty is not harmed.
-- Finance and Administration Cabinet
Duties include policy development, procurement of goods and services, the maintenance of state-owned facilities, and employee training.
-- Cabinet for Health and Family Services
Includes protection for vulnerable children and adults, child abuse investigations, foster care, adoptions, child support collections, cash assistance, food stamps, disability determinations, and more.
-- Justice and Public Safety Cabinet
Responsible for criminal justice services. This encompasses law enforcement and training; adult and juvenile treatment and incarceration; autopsies, death certifications and toxicology analyses; special investigations; paroling of eligible convicted felons; administration of federal grants for criminal justice programs; and long range planning and recommendations on statewide criminal justice reform issues.
-- Labor Cabinet
Oversees the Kentucky Occupational Safety and Health Program, Employment Standards (Labor Laws), Workers Compensation Programs as well as Labor Management Relations and Mediation.
-- Personnel Cabinet
Provides services, human resources management and improved administration in the recruitment and retention of a competent workforce.
-- Public Protection Cabinet
Responsible for monitoring and regulating a number of activities that impact nearly every Kentuckian – the financial soundness of our state chartered banks and investment companies; Thoroughbred and Standardbred horse racing; the operations of all types of insurance companies; the various forms of charitable gaming; the appeal of a property tax assessment; building permits and fire safety inspections; and crime victims compensation.
-- Tourism, Arts and Heritage Cabinet
Promotes and markets Kentucky's parks, tourism, cultural heritage, and arts ln the state, nation, and the world as well as manages investments in these assets with a broad, coordinated view for creating economic development.
-- Kentucky Transportation Cabinet
Responsible for maintaining and improving the transportation infrastructure of the Commonwealth including 27,438 miles of roads, 160 licensed airports, 23 public transportation systems, and the registration of 2.7 million licensed drivers and 3.4 million vehicles annually.

Elected Officials:

-- Attorney General
Protects consumers from scams, prosecutes criminals who prey on children and the elderly, and strengthens partnerships with local law enforcement officers that will keep drugs out of communities in every corner of our Commonwealth.
-- Auditor of Public Accounts
Ensures that public resources are protected.
Department of Agriculture
Secretary of State
Entrusted with filing, maintaining and preserving certain historically significant documents and public records of the Commonwealth and her people.

Legislative Branch

Legislative Research Commission
Established in 1948 as a fact-finding and service body for the Legislature. Services include committee staffing, bill drafting, oversight of the state budget and educational reform, production of educational materials, maintenance of a reference library and the legislative website, and the preparation and printing of research reports, informational bulletins and a legislative newspaper.

Publications:

LRC Publications
Include LRC Research Reports, Informational Bulletins, Research Memorandums and other publications, many of which are now online and most of which are also available in UK Libraries' collections.
-- Kentucky Revised Statutes
-- Kentucky Administrative Regulations
-- Acts of the Kentucky General Assembly
-- Constitution
-- Search General Assembly Resources

Other Legislative sites:

Judicial Branch

Kentucky Court of Justice
Judicial power of the Commonwealth of Kentucky is vested in one Court of Justice, which is divided into a Supreme Court, a Court of Appeals, a trial court of general jurisdiction known as the Circuit Court, and a trial court of limited jurisdiction known as the District Court.
Kentucky Bar Association
Iindependent agency of the Supreme Court of Kentucky. Its authority to regulate the legal profession in Kentucky is derived from the Kentucky Constitution.
Circuit Court
Courts of general jurisdiction that hear civil matters involving more than $4,000.
-- County Circuit Court Clerks
Court of Appeals
Exactly what its title implies. Nearly all cases come to it on appeal from a lower court.
District Court
Has limited jurisdiction, which means it hears only certain types of cases. 90% of all Kentuckians involved in court proceedings appear in District Court.
Drug Court
Family Court
Gives cases involving families and children the highest priority, which means they don't compete with criminal and civil cases for judicial time.
Supreme Court
Court of last resort and the final interpreter of state law. It hears appeals of decisions from the lower state courts.