Kentucky’s primary polls close Tuesday at 6 p.m. local time, with most of the state ending voting at 6 p.m. ET and polling places in the Central Time Zone closing at 7 p.m. ET.
That deadline matters because Kentucky voters are choosing nominees for the U.S. Senate, five other U.S. House seats and the state General Assembly, while voters in Louisville are narrowing a crowded field for mayor. As ballots are tallied, the Decision Team is monitoring the key races that could be settled by turnout as much as by politics.
Only voters registered with a political party may take part in that party’s primary. Democrats cannot vote in the Republican primary, and Republicans cannot vote in the Democratic primary. Independent and unaffiliated voters are shut out of both contests, making the electorate smaller and more partisan than it would be in a general election.
That restriction lands on a state with a large and closely divided electorate. As of April 24, Kentucky had about 3.4 million registered voters, including about 1.6 million registered Republicans and about 1.4 million registered Democrats. In a primary, those numbers shape who shows up and which campaigns can bank on a loyal base turning out before the polls close.
The timing also puts a spotlight on the races with the clearest stakes. In northern Kentucky’s 4th Congressional District, which stretches along the Ohio River and shares a border with Indiana and Ohio, Rep. Thomas Massie is seeking an eighth full term. Trump received about 67% of the district vote in the 2024 general election, and Massie won 65% in his 2022 reelection bid after running unopposed in 2024. He has also clashed with Trump over tax policy, the war with Iran and the push to release Jeffrey Epstein files.
Elsewhere, the primary comes as Mitch McConnell prepares to leave the Senate after seven terms, adding extra weight to a night already carrying nominations for the state’s biggest offices. The will provide vote results and declare winners in contested primaries for U.S. Senate, U.S. House and Louisville mayor, but the first hard answer for voters comes earlier: when do polls close in Kentucky? At 6 p.m. local time, except for the Central Time Zone, where polling places close at 7 p.m. ET.
