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This guide to Fayette County voting information is provided in partnership with our friends at CivicLex, a local nonprofit focused on strengthening the civic health in Lexington, Kentucky. Learn more at civiclex.org.
WHEN & WHERE DO I VOTE?
Election Day
Election day falls on Tues., Nov. 5. Election Day voting hours are 6 a.m.- 6 p.m. To find your voting precinct, visit govoteky.com or on the Fayette County Clerk’s website (fayettecountyclerk.com). You can also vote at any of the six public library voting centers: Beaumont Branch, Eastside Branch, Central Branch, Tates Creek Branch, Marksbury Family Branch, Northside Branch.
Early Voting
Registered Fayette County voters, regardless of where they live, can also choose to vote early at any of the six library voting centers listed above. Early voting hours are 8:30 a.m.- 4:30 p.m. Oct. 31, Nov. 1 and Nov. 2.
WHAT’S ON THE BALLOT?
Your ballot will depend on what district(s) you live in. Review a sample ballot and get more info about each race and the candidates running at the online voting resource LexVote (www.lex.vote).
In addition to options to vote for United States president, congress representative, and a variety of state and local offices, Fayette County voters will have the opportunity to vote on a three local ballot measures, which we’ve outlined below.
BALLOT MEASURES
Local Referendum - Park Fund
A ballot referendum is a law, issue, or topic placed on a ballot for voters to decide through an election.
What is the Local Referendum on my ballot?
This year, voters will be asked to vote for or against the creation of a dedicated public “Park Fund.” The money generated would provide funds to improve and develop neighborhood parks, walking and hiking trails, nature parks, bike trails, swimming pools, playgrounds, dog parks, and recreational facilities for children, adults, families and seniors.
If approved, this parks referendum would create a new property tax of 2.25 cents per $100 of taxable property, beginning January 1, 2025. This would result in an additional $67.50 in property taxes for a home valued at $300,000.
A vote FOR would create a Park Fund, and a vote AGAINST would not create a Park Fund.
Context: Currently, the city funds park maintenance through the city budget’s General Fund. The General Fund doesn’t provide enough money to complete all the park maintenance projects that are needed throughout the city every year, which has resulted in a long backlog of projects. The Park Fund is being proposed by the group Vote Yes for Parks.
The fund would initially go towards funding projects outlined and prioritized in the 2018 Parks Master Plan, which identified approximately $100 million worth of projects in Lexington’s parks.
The City would continue to fund operating expenses such as staff salaries and programming through the City’s Budget using the General Fund.
CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENTS
A constitutional amendment is a change to a constitution, in this case the Kentucky state constitution. A state constitution contains the laws that govern a state. For both, a “yes” vote would amend the constitution, and a “no” vote would keep it as it currently stands.
Amendment 1:
You will be asked to vote yes or no to amending the constitution to prohibit persons who are not citizens of the United States from being allowed to vote in the Commonwealth of Kentucky.
Voting YES means the constitution will be amended to prohibit people who are not a U.S. citizen from voting.
Voting NO means the state constitution will not change.
Context: The state constitution already requires voters to be a U.S. citizen to vote. However, according to bill sponsor State Rep. Jason Howell (R-Murray), the language in the constitution “doesn’t stop anyone expressly that’s not a U.S. citizen from voting”. Opponents state that the constitution already prohibits noncitizens from voting and that this bill focuses on a “hypothetical problem” (Cassie Chambers Armstrong, D- Louisville). While noncitizens are not allowed to vote in Kentucky, proponents of this legislation cite the City of San Francisco recently allowing noncitizens to vote in school board elections.
Amendment 2:
You will be asked to vote yes or no to add a section to the state constitution that enables the state government to use public tax dollars to support schools that are outside the system of common (public) schools.
Voting YES would amend the state constitution to allow the state government to spend public tax dollars on financial support for private and/or charter schools.
Voting NO means the state constitution will not change. Public tax dollars will not be allowed to provide financial support for private and/or charter schools.
Context: Currently the state constitution prohibits public tax dollars from being used to support private or charter schools. This amendment was first introduced by Kentucky State Representative Susan Miles (R-7th District) as House Bill 2 during the 2024 state legislative session.
Supporters of the amendment argue that it will give parents more choice as to where they can send their children to school and what type of education they receive.
Opponents argue that this amendment will lead to revenue losses in public schools, and that private and charter schools would not be available in rural and economically disadvantaged areas of Kentucky.