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Voter registration in the state continued to experience an increase in January, making it the 10th month in a row to see such a rise, said Kentucky Secretary of State Michael Adams.

In January, 6,700 new voters registered while 6,156 were removed. 5,089 of them were deceased voters, 578 voters convicted of felonies, 325 who moved out of state, 78 who voluntarily deregistered, 44 adjudged mentally incompetent and 42 duplicate registrations.

“These numbers suggest that this November we could have the highest voter turnout in decades,” said Adams. “It is critical that the General Assembly leave early voting days and our election integrity measures intact.”

According to these latest figures, Republican registration now accounts for 46 percent of the electorate with 1,611,760 voters. Republican registration rose by 2,111, a .13 percent increase. Democratic registration accounts for 44 percent of the electorate, with 1,520,663 voters. Democratic registration went down by 2,751, an .18 percent decrease. There are 359,380 voters registered under other political affiliations, making up 10 percent of the electorate. Other party registration went up by 1,184, a .33 percent increase.

The registration deadline for the May 21 Primary Election in Kentucky is Apr. 22 at 4 p.m. local time. Anyone not registered on or before that date will not be eligible to either request an absentee ballot or vote in person during the election.

Among the races that will be on the ballot this year are President of the United States, all six of Kentucky’s U.S. House seats, the odd-numbered districts in the Kentucky Senate, all 100 Kentucky House seats, some Commonwealth’s Attorneys, one Kentucky Supreme Court seat (the district covering central Kentucky), one position on the Kentucky Court of Appeals in Western Kentucky and one district judge’s race.

Remember, you may register to vote in Kentucky as a 17-year-old and participate in the May Primary if you will be 18 years old by the next General Election, which will be Nov. 5, 2024.