Yes, you are too going to vote, so make sure you're registered

The deadline for registering to vote in Kentucky in the Nov. 2 general election is next Monday, Oct. 4.

County Clerks’ offices throughout Kentucky will accept voter registration cards until the close of business that day. A postmark of October 4 is also required for all mail-in voter registration applications. Registration cards can be obtained over the internet at www.vote.ky.gov/register.

“I encourage all citizens who have not already done so, to register to vote today,” stated Kentucky Secretary of State Trey Grayson. “We hope to see everyone exercising their constitutional right to vote on November 2, 2010.”

To be a registered voter in Kentucky, you must: be a U.S. citizen, be a resident of Kentucky, be at least 18 years of age on or before November 2nd, not be a convicted felon, or if you have been convicted of a felony, your civil rights must have been restored by executive pardon, have not been judged “mentally incompetent” in a court of law and have your voting rights removed, and not claim the right to vote anywhere outside Kentucky.

Additionally, Secretary Grayson reminded voters that if they have moved recently, they need to update their voter registration so that they are allowed to vote on election day. In particular, if a voter has moved from one county to another prior to the voter registration books closing and he or she does not update his or her voter registration, that voter will not be allowed to vote in the general election.

If citizens are unsure whether they have registered to vote or uncertain as to where they will vote, they can view all of that information online through the Voter Information Center (VIC). The VIC will tell voters where they are registered to vote, the location of their polling site, and their political affiliation. It also provides links to elected representatives, sample ballots, and driving directions from the voter’s home to his or her polling location. VIC can be accessed at www.vote.ky.gov/vic.

To obtain a list of county clerks and other voter registration sites in your area, contact the Kentucky State Board of Elections at (502) 573-7100 or via the web at www.elect.ky.gov.