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Hey Kentucky Voters! Here’s Your Comprehensive 2020 Primary Election Guide

Vote election

First, The Basics

This year is a bit different from normal. State officials pushed Kentucky’s primary back more than a month because of the coronavirus pandemic. Also because of the pandemic, all registered voters had the option of requesting a mail-in ballot. If you did (the deadline to request one was June 15), it must be postmarked by June 23 or dropped off at the Election Center inside the Edison Building (701 W. Ormsby Ave) or at the Kentucky Expo Center (937 Phillips Lane).

If you are voting in-person in Jefferson County, you have three options:

In-person voting at the Election Center

You can vote at the Election Center (701 W. Ormsby Ave) Monday through Friday June 8-22. Appointments encouraged; call 502-574-6100.

In-person voting at the Kentucky Exposition Center

You can vote in the Expo Center’s South Wing A and B (937 Phillips Lane) Monday through Friday June 15-22 from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Enter at gates 2, 4 and 6; parking is free.

In-person voting on primary day

There will only one polling place in Jefferson County on primary day, and it’s at the Kentucky Exposition Center (937 Phillips Lane, South Wing A and B). Polls will be open 6:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m on Tuesday, June 23. Enter at gates 2, 4 and 6. Parking is free.

You can view your sample primary ballot on the Jefferson County Clerk’s website. If you’re wondering if you’re registered to vote in Kentucky you can check on the Secretary of State’s website. Only people registered as either Republicans or Democrats are eligible to cast a ballot; Independents can’t vote in Kentucky partisan primary elections. All residents of Kentucky's 26th District will be allowed to cast a ballot in the district's special election for state Senate (see below).

Acceptable forms of identification include a drivers license, credit card, social security card, personal acquaintance of an election officer, any other identification with both your picture and signature or any U.S. government-issued ID card (for a full list of options, click here).

TARC will provide shuttles from Union Station (1000 W. Broadway) to the Expo Center on primary day. Shuttles leave every 30 minutes from 6 a.m. to 6:30 p.m.; for more information click here.


Click on your party affiliation to see more information about who’s on your ballot.

Democratic Info

Republican Info

The Democratic Ballot

U.S. Senate

Kentucky’s 2020 Senate race will be one of the most closely watched in the nation because of who currently holds the seat: Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, who has been in office since 1985. This year, Democratic voters have 10 candidates to choose from when they mail in their ballots or head to the polls on June 23. For more about all the candidates, click here.

U.S. Representative

Incumbent Rep. John Yarmuth is running unopposed for his party’s nomination

Kentucky Senate

There are four Louisville-area state Senate seats on the ballot this year; in three of them, the Democratic incumbent is running without a challenger. But current 37th District Sen. Perry Clark isn't seeking reelection. There are three Democrats vying to replace him. Click here for more on these candidates.

37th District


  • Katie Brophy
  • Garrett A. Dean
  • Di Tran
  • David Yates

26th District Special Election

A special election will take place in Kentucky’s 26th Senate District after longtime Republican state Sen. Ernie Harris retired before the end of his term. The district includes Oldham County and part of northeastern Jefferson County. Click here for more on these candidates.


  • Karen Berg (Democrat)
  • Bill Ferko (Republican)

Kentucky House

28th District


  • Charles Miller (incumbent)
  • Ramona Jade Thomas (withdrawn)

30th District


  • Tom Burch (incumbent)
  • Daniel Grossberg

40th District


  • Nima Kulkarni (incumbent)
  • Dennis Horlander

43rd District


  • David L. Snardon
  • Pamela D. Stevenson

Louisville Metro Council

All of the even-numbered Metro Council districts are up for election this year, though there aren't primary challenges in every race. For more information on the candidates, visit our Metro Council voter guide here. Here's a list of who's running in contested races:

District 2


  • Barbara Shanklin (incumbent)
  • Caroline Grundy
  • RaeShanda Lias-Lockhart
  • Curtis Wilkerson

District 4


  • Jecorey Arthur
  • Robert LeVertis Bell
  • Ron Bolton
  • Adam Caperton
  • Aletha Fields
  • Darryl Young, Jr.

District 8


  • Cassie Chambers Armstrong
  • Daniel Borsch
  • Shawn Reilly

District 10


  • Pat Mulvihill (incumbent)
  • Ryan Fenwick

District 18


  • Mera Kathryn Corlett
  • Noah Grimes
  • Susan Jarl

The Republican Ballot

U.S. Senate

Mitch McConnell has been in the Senate since 1985, but this is the first year he will be running for reelection while holding the title of majority leader — the powerful position that allows him to set the agenda of the Senate but also makes him a lightning rod for opposition.

McConnell has drawn seven challengers in this year’s Republican primary for the U.S. Senate seat he currently holds. And while none of the challengers have mounted very well-funded or publicized campaigns, the crowded field shows that there is more interest than ever in the outcome of this year’s race. For more about all the candidates, click here.


  • Nicholas Alsager
  • Wendell K. Crow (withdrawn)
  • Paul John Frangedakis
  • Louis Grider
  • Naren James
  • Kenneth Lowndes
  • Mitch McConnell
  • Wesley Morgan

U.S. Representative

There are three Republicans vying to take on U.S. Rep. John Yarmuth in Kentucky's third Congressional district.


  • Mike Craven: Craven describes himself as a "pro-life, pro-marriage" Republican on his website. He is a Louisville native and a practicing Catholic who spent much of his career working in the auto industry. His priorities include fiscal responsibility, defunding Planned Parenthood, opposing Obamacare and promoting school choice and charter schools. He also unsuccessfully ran for the party's nomination for the seat in 2018.
  • Waymen Eddings: On his website, Eddings says he is a strong defender of the First, Second and Fourteenth Amendments. He says he will support President Donald Trump "where his policies are effective," and provide professional opposition when "his policies and persona are ineffective or intolerable. He was born in Cotter Homes, the former housing project on the site of today's Park DuValle development, and describes himself as a single father with experience in activism, politics and nonprofit leadership. Eddings ran unsuccessfully for JCPS Board of Education in 2018.
  • Rhonda Palazzo: Palazzo says she opposes abortion, supports the Second Amendment and school choice. She is a lifelong Louisville resident with degrees in accounting and psychology from the University of Kentucky and the University of Louisville. She also unsuccessfully ran for the party's nomination for the seat in 2018.

Kentucky House And Senate

There are no Republicans running to represent any Louisville-area Kentucky Senate districts, and there are no contested primaries for local Kentucky House seats. But there is a special election in the 26th Senate District.

26th District Special Election

A special election will take place in Kentucky’s 26th Senate District after longtime Republican state Sen. Ernie Harris retired before the end of his term. The district includes Oldham County and part of northeastern Jefferson County. Click here for more on these candidates.


  • Karen Berg (Democrat)
  • Bill Ferko (Republican)

Louisville Metro Council

All of the even-numbered Metro Council districts are up for election this year, though there aren't primary challenges in every race. For a fuller look at the candidates, visit our Metro Council voter guide here. There is only one Metro Council race that has a contested Republican primary.

District 20


  • Stuart Benson (incumbent)
  • Wyatt Allison

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