KENTUCKY — It's Election Day! Here's everything voters in Kentucky need to know before heading to the polls this Tuesday.
Need to Know
Kentucky's general midterm election is Nov. 8, 2022. Early in-person voting will take place Nov. 3-5.
Polls are open from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. local time on Election Day. Anyone in line at 6 p.m. will be allowed to vote.
Voters must provide proof of identification which includes a photo and name. The ID could be issued by the U.S.; the state of Kentucky; the Department of Defense; a private or public college or university; or any city or county government.
To find your polling location for both early voting and Election Day voting, click here.
On Election Day, you can get live updates for all election results here.
U.S. Senate
Rand Paul
Incumbent Rand Paul is in pursuit of his third term in the U.S. Senate.
Serving in the Senate since 2011, Paul considers himself "one of the nation's leading advocates for liberty." He pushes for limited government and often speaks out against American intervention abroad. He delights in being a contrarian and frustrates legislators on both sides of the aisle.
Just months ago, Paul defied leaders of both parties — including fellow Kentucky senator Mitch McConnell — to delay approval of $40 billion to Ukraine. Paul said he wanted language inserted that allows an inspector general to oversee how funds are spent and said his oath of office "is to the U.S. Constitution, not to any foreign nation."
Paul's platform points include:
- cutting federal spending,
- reforming the country's taxes and
- improving America's energy security.
The libertarian-leading politician is pro-Second Amendment and an abortion rights opponent. For more information on Paul's political views, click here.
Charles Booker
Democratic challenger Charles Booker is hoping to break Kentucky Democrats' losing streak in U.S. Senate races.
A Louisville native who previously served as a Director of Administrative Services for the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife, Booker was elected to the Kentucky House of Representatives in 2018. He narrowly lost the Democratic primary to Mitch McConnell challenger Amy McGrath in 2020.
Booker is known for his "hood to the holler" movement where he attempts to unite those living in poverty in Kentucky's inner cities and rural communities. He does not have the type of fundraising advantage Paul, a known national figure, does. Paul
His platform points include:
- affordable health care,
- ending gun violence and
- protecting children in poverty.
Booker, the first Black person to be a major party nominee for Senate in Kentucky, is an abortion rights advocate. For more information on his views, click here.
U.S. Representative
Thomas Massie
Republican candidate Thomas Massie has been in Congress since 2012, when he won both a special and regular election to fill former Rep. Geof Davis' open seat.
Nicknamed "Mr. No," Massie often makes headlines for often voting against things in the House that have bipartisan support — such as a coronavirus aid package or a resolution supporting Sweden and Finland joining NATO.
The libertarian-minded lawmaker was previously described as a "third rate Grandstander" and "disaster for America" by former President Donald Trump, who later endorsed him in the May primary.
Massie's platform positions include:
- addressing national debt,
- improving America's energy security and
- supporting the Second Amendment.
Matthew Lehman
Newport resident Matthew Lehman is the Democratic challenger running for U.S. Representative.
Lehman co-founded the biotechnology company Koligo Therapeutics in 2016 in hopes of treating pancreatitis patients without opioids. He was the company's CEO until it was sold to a larger company. Now, his campaign said Lehman consults within the health care and thoroughbred industries.
His work in the health care field led to one of his biggest campaign platforms: fighting Kentucky's opioid epidemic. Lehman said Rep. Massie has "done nothing for Northern Kentucky ... voting no on nearly every bill to treat those suffering from drug addiction to support the communities affected."
Lehman's platform positions also include:
- protecting citizens' health privacy,
- creating more energy employment opportunities and
- addressing economic development needs.
Ethan Osborne
Independent candidate Ethan Osborne will also be on the ballot Tuesday.
Osborne was born and raised in Covington and received a bachelor's degree from Northern Kentucky University. He joined the U.S. Marine Corps, where he was later honorably discharged. He said he is a single father, an arborist and wildland firefighter and a community and union organizer with the American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations.
As someone who describes himself as having "ended up on the wrong side of the law" following depression and alcoholism, Osborne's campaign platform includes criminal justice reform.
Osborne's platform positions include:
- reforming the country's taxes,
- pushing for universal health care and
- advocating for abortion rights.
Constitutional Amendments
Amendment 1
Right now, only the governor can call the Kentucky General Assembly into special session. Constitutional Amendment 1 would give state lawmakers more power, allowing them to call themselves into special sessions or extend regular legislative sessions.
With Constitutional Amendment 1, the House speaker or Senate president can call a special legislative session for up to 12 days. Voters will either say "yes" or "no."
Amendment 2
Constitutional Amendment 2 will determine the future of abortion rights in Kentucky. The amendment would add a section to the state constitution that eliminates the right to an abortion.
Abortion is currently outlawed in Kentucky under the state's trigger law, which took effect after the Supreme Court struck down Roe v. Wade in June. However, a lawsuit that seeks to establish abortion as a state right is pending in court. If voters approve Constitutional Amendment 2, it would end the current legal challenges.
Voters will be asked to say "yes" or "no" to determine if they do or don't support the amendment.
Other key races in Northern Kentucky
State Senate
Candidates Gex "Jay" Williams (R) and Teresa Azbill (D) are running to represent the 20th district in the Kentucky Senate. Voters in parts or the entirety of Boone, Carroll, Gallatin, Kenton and Owen counties could see this race on their ballot
Shelley Funke Frommeyer (R) and Rene Heinrich (D) are running in the 24th district, which includes parts or the entirety of Bracken, Campbell, Kenton and Pendleton counties.
State Representative
In the 61st district, Savannah Maddox (R) is taking on challenger Debby Lucas Angel (D). Voters will see their names on ballots in Boone, Gallatin, Grant and Kenton counties. Maddox is also running for governor.
WCPO affiliate LINK NKY interviewed both candidates. You can read more about their campaign positions here.
Kentucky Supreme Court
Joe Fischer, a Republican state lawmaker from Fort Thomas, is running against Supreme Court Justice Michelle Keller of Fort Mitchell. The race is nonpartisan though Fischer has spoken about being a "conservative Republican" in the past. Fischer is the author of the state's abortion trigger law.
Keller, appointed to the Kentucky Supreme Court in April 2013, has been on both the Kentucky Court of Appeals and Supreme Court. Prior to being on the bench, Keller practiced law for 17 years. She was also a licensed registered nurse while attending NKU's Chase College of Law.
To find your exact sample ballot, click here.
