Absentee Ballot Instructions

Absentee ballots may be requested through the online portal at GoVote.KY.gov. Voters without internet access may request a ballot by phone or in person at the Clerk’s Office. You must meet a qualifying reason to vote by mail-in absentee ballot.

For the 2026 General Election, the online portal opens September 19, 2026, and closes October 20, 2026, at 11:59 p.m.

Your ballot packet will be mailed within four days of your request.

The outer mailing envelope will contain your ballot, ballot instructions, and two additional envelopes. The envelopes will include labels with your information and a barcode.

The precinct listed in the upper-right corner of your ballot should match the precinct listed on your ballot envelope labels.

All ballot faces for the 2026 General Election are two-sided. Be sure to vote both sides of your ballot.

• Blue or black ink is recommended.
• The first choice on your ballot will be the straight-party option. You are not required to select a straight-party choice.
• Selecting a straight-party option does not prevent you from voting for a candidate from another party in an individual partisan contest. For example, if you select the straight-party option but decide to vote for a candidate from the opposite party in the State Senate race, simply fill in the oval next to that candidate’s name. Your straight-party selection will still apply to all other partisan contests on your ballot.
• Straight-party voting applies only to partisan contests. Nonpartisan contests, constitutional amendments, and questions are not included in a straight-party selection. Be sure to mark your choices separately for these contests.
• Each contest will indicate the number of choices you may select. Do not select more candidates than the number allowed. Selecting too many choices will result in an overvote, and no choice will be counted for that contest.
• You may make fewer selections than the number allowed in a contest. This is called an undervote. For example, if a city commission contest allows you to select up to four candidates, you may choose only one, two, or three candidates if you do not wish to vote for four. The contest will be considered an undervote, but the selections you made will remain valid and will be counted.

Click the button in the upper right corner for a list of official write-in candidates.

Only candidates who properly filed a declaration of intent to be a write-in candidate by the August 24, 2026, 4:00 p.m. deadline are eligible to receive write-in votes. Names other than official write-in candidates will not be counted.

If you accidentally mark a choice other than your intended choice, mark through the mistake and circle your intended choice.

If someone assists you in marking your ballot, the person assisting you must complete the Oath for Person Assisting Voter section on the ballot envelope.

If you require assistance and are not already certified as requiring assistance on a permanent basis, you must complete and sign the Oath for Voter section on the inner orange envelope and select the reason you require assistance. Voters needing assistance will sign two spots on the inner orange envelope.

If you are unable to sign the required envelope with your usual signature and instead sign with a mark, two witnesses must complete the appropriate witness sections. Both witnesses must sign both the inner and outer return envelopes.

• Be sure you sign BOTH the inner and outer envelopes. If you do not sign BOTH envelopes, the ballot WILL NOT be counted.
• Place your completed ballot inside the inner orange security envelope and seal it.
• Place the sealed inner envelope inside the outer return envelope and seal the outer envelope.
• Do not remove the detachable flap from the inner orange security envelope. It is part of the ballot-return process and must be completed as required. If the flap is removed, the ballot will not be counted.

Your completed ballot must be received by the County Clerk by 6:00 p.m. on Election Day, November 3, 2026, to be counted. You may return your ballot by mail, hand-delivery, or through the authorized secure drop box located in the clerk’s office.

The State Board of Elections encourages voters not to wait until Election Day to return their ballot.

If you are returning your ballot by mail, please allow sufficient time for delivery. The County Clerk cannot control or guarantee delivery by the United States Postal Service.

Cost to mail: The current cost to mail a ballot is $1.98. Three forever stamps will cover the cost of postage. 

FINAL REMINDER:

YOUR BALLOT MUST BE RECEIVED BY THE WARREN COUNTY CLERK BY 6:00 P.M. ON NOVEMBER 3, 2026, TO BE COUNTED.