Kentucky 2027 Election Calendar: Jan. 8 Filing Deadline, May 18 Primary, Nov. 2 General

Kentucky’s candidate filing deadline for 2027 offices is 4:00 PM on Friday, Jan. 8, 2027, the primary is Tuesday, May 18 and the general election is Tuesday, Nov. 2, according to the Kentucky State Board of Elections’ “2027 Kentucky Election Calendar.” Signatures on candidate filing forms for a 2027 office may be gathered starting today, Wednesday, Nov. 4, 2026. The table below sets every primary and general election date side by side, with weekdays and times as the board prints them. The board’s PDF carries no printed issue date; we read it on Nov. 4, 2026.

Kentucky 2027 election dates: primary and general side by side

Step	Primary (May 18)	General (Nov. 2)
Mail-in absentee request portal opens (45 days before)	Sat., April 3	Sat., Sept. 18
Last day to register	Mon., April 19	Mon., Oct. 4
Registration books closed	Tue., April 20 through Mon., May 24	Tue., Oct. 5 through Mon., Nov. 8
Mail-in absentee portal closes, 11:59 PM (14 days before)	Tue., May 4	Tue., Oct. 19
Excused in-person absentee (a designated reason is required)	Wed., May 5, Thu., May 6, Fri., May 7 and Mon., May 10, Tue., May 11, Wed., May 12	Wed., Oct. 20, Thu., Oct. 21, Fri., Oct. 22 and Mon., Oct. 25, Tue., Oct. 26, Wed., Oct. 27
Military-overseas application deadline (7 days before)	Tue., May 11	Tue., Oct. 26
No-excuse in-person early voting	Thu., May 13 through Sat., May 15	Thu., Oct. 28 through Sat., Oct. 30
Election Day, polls 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. prevailing time	Tue., May 18	Tue., Nov. 2

All dates are 2027. The calendar says the primary falls on the first Tuesday after the third Monday in May.

Which Kentucky offices are on the 2027 ballot?

The board’s “Kentucky Election Schedule 2026-2036” marks only state officers in its 2027 column: governor, lieutenant governor, secretary of state, attorney general, auditor of public accounts, state treasurer and commissioner of agriculture. Our guide to when 2026 election winners take office covers the 36 governors chosen this year, and the 2026 midterm ballot guide covers what voters decided on Nov. 3. This story gives dates and offices only; the board’s pages list the candidates once they file.

When can Kentucky candidates file for 2027 offices?

The calendar sets three candidate dates:

• Wednesday, Nov. 4, 2026: the earliest date for affixing signatures on candidate filing forms for a 2027 office.
• Friday, Jan. 8, 2027, 4:00 PM: the filing deadline for candidates who must run in the primary.
• Thursday, April 1, 2027, 4:00 PM: the deadline for the statement of candidacy for independent and political organization candidates.

From today, that is 65 days to the Jan. 8 deadline, 195 days to the May 18 primary and 363 days to the Nov. 2 general election.

What are the Kentucky registration and party-change deadlines?

To vote in a party’s 2027 primary, a voter must change party affiliation by Thursday, Dec. 31, 2026, the last day to do so under Kentucky Revised Statutes (KRS) 116.055, per the calendar.

The last day to register for the primary is Monday, April 19, 2027. Online registration must be finished by 4:00 PM local time, and the calendar says a mailed form postmarked Tuesday, April 20 still counts. For the general election the last day is Monday, Oct. 4, with mailed forms postmarked Oct. 5.

The calendar then lists the registration books as closed from Tuesday, April 20 through Monday, May 24, and from Tuesday, Oct. 5 through Monday, Nov. 8. It cites KRS 116.045(2): “the fourth Tuesday preceding through the first Monday following” the election. The board’s calendar does not explain how a mailed form postmarked April 20 fits with books that close that day, so check your registration with your county clerk well before April 19.

How do absentee and early voting work in Kentucky in 2027?

Three routes appear on the calendar. Mail-in absentee requests go through a portal that opens 45 days before each election and closes at 11:59 PM 14 days before. Excused in-person absentee voting, which needs a designated reason, runs on six weekdays before each election. No-excuse in-person early voting is Thursday to Saturday, the days just before Election Day: May 13-15 for the primary and Oct. 28-30 for the general election.

Mail-in ballots “must be received by the County Clerk before 6 p.m. prevailing time,” the calendar says. Military and overseas applications are due 7 days before: Tuesday, May 11 and Tuesday, Oct. 26.

What does “prevailing time” mean for Kentucky polls?

Polls are open 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. prevailing time, which is the local time in each county. Kentucky is split between Eastern Time (ET) and Central Time (CT), so a county on Central Time closes at 6 p.m. CT, which is 7 p.m. ET. A county on Eastern Time closes at 6 p.m. ET. The 4:00 PM and 11:59 PM deadlines above are printed without a zone, other than the online registration deadline, which is 4:00 PM local time; ask your county clerk if you are unsure which clock applies.

Which other state has a posted 2027 election calendar?

The Mississippi Secretary of State’s “Election Calendar 2026-2027” lists a Nov. 2, 2027 general election and an Aug. 3 primary. We could not confirm a Louisiana calendar for 2027 and leave it out.

Kentucky 2027 deadline sheet to print

The free one-page Kentucky 2027 Election Deadlines sheet lists every date above in order, with the weekday, the days before the Nov. 2 general election and a Done box. It is built from the board’s calendar. To plan around the dates, use our May and November printable calendars or the printable yearly calendar.