Kentucky State Senate elections, 2020

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2020 Kentucky Senate Elections
General	November 3, 2020
Primary	June 23, 2020

Past Election Results

2018・2016・2014 2012・2010・2008

2020 Elections
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Elections for the office of Kentucky State Senate took place in 2020. The general election was held on November 3, 2020. A primary was scheduled for June 23, 2020. The filing deadline was January 10, 2020.

Republicans expanded their existing supermajority in the 2020 state Senate elections. Nineteen of the 38 state Senate seats were up in 2020. Heading into the election, Republicans held a 28-10 majority in the chamber, including a 12-7 majority among the seats up for election. Republicans gained a net two seats, expanding their majority to 30-8. A 20-seat majority is required to override a gubernatorial veto.

The Kentucky State Senate was one of 86 state legislative chambers with elections in 2020. A total of 19 seats out of the chamber's 38 seats were up for election in 2020. There are 99 chambers throughout the country. In 2018, 87 out of 99 legislative chambers held elections.

Kentucky's 2020 state legislative elections affected partisan control of redistricting following the 2020 census. In Kentucky, the state legislature is responsible for drafting both congressional and state legislative district plans. District plans are subject to gubernatorial veto.

Election procedure changes in 2020

See also: Changes to election dates, procedures, and administration in response to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, 2020

Ballotpedia provided comprehensive coverage of how election dates and procedures changed in 2020. While the majority of changes occurred as a result of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, some changes occurred for other reasons.

Kentucky modified its absentee/mail-in voting procedures for the November 3, 2020, general election as follows:

• Absentee/mail-in voting: Absentee/mail-in voting eligibility was extended to all voters "concerned with contracting or spreading COVID-19."

For a full timeline about election modifications made in response to the COVID-19 outbreak, click here.

Party control

See also: Partisan composition of state senates and State government trifectas

Kentucky State Senate
Party		As of November 3, 2020	After November 4, 2020
	Democratic Party	10	8
	Republican Party	28	30
Total		38	38

General election

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Primary election
The candidate list below is based on candidate filing lists provided by the Kentucky Secretary of State on January 13, 2020.

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Incumbents who were not re-elected

See also: Annual State Legislative Competitiveness Report: Vol. 10, 2020

Incumbents defeated in the general election

One incumbent lost in the Nov. 3 general election. That incumbents was:

Name	Party	Office
Johnny Ray Turner	Democratic	Senate District 29

Incumbents defeated in primary elections

One incumbent—Albert Robinson (R)—lost in the June 23 primaries. This was the first election since 2014 where an incumbent Senator was defeated in a primary. That year, Sen. Sara Beth Gregory (R) was defeated by George Maxwell "Max" Wise (R).

Name	Party	Office
Albert Robinson		Senate District 21

Retiring incumbents

There were three open seats where the incumbent legislator did not file for re-election in 2020. Those incumbents were:

Name	Party	Office
Stan Humphries	Republican	Senate District 1
Julian Carroll	Democratic	Senate District 7
Perry Clark	Democratic	Senate District 37

The three seats left open in 2020 represented an average number of open seats compared to the five preceding elections.The table below shows the number of open seats in each election held between 2010 and 2020.

Open Seats in Kentucky State Senate elections: 2010 - 2020
Year	Total seats	Open seats	Seats with incumbents running for re-election
2020	19	3 (16 percent)	16 (84 percent)
2018	19	1 (5 percent)	18 (95 percent)
2016	19	2 (11 percent)	17 (89 percent)
2014	19	4 (21 percent)	15 (79 percent)
2012	19	3 (16 percent)	16 (84 percent)
2010	19	2 (11 percent)	17 (89 percent)

Process to become a candidate

See also: Ballot access requirements for political candidates in Kentucky

See statutes: Section 118.105 of the Kentucky Revised Statutes (2022)

There are three methods by which a candidate can gain ballot access in Kentucky: by political party primary, by political organization convention, and by petition. A candidate must be registered with a political party if he or she wishes to run in the political party primary. If a candidate seeks nomination by a political organization, either by petition or convention, he or she must be registered with that organization. An independent candidate must be registered as an independent in order to use that designation on his or her nominating petition.

Political party primary candidates

A political party candidate is granted general election ballot access by winning his or her party's primary election. The candidate must file a notification and declaration form with the Kentucky Secretary of State. This form must be signed by the candidate and by no less than two registered voters from the same party as the candidate and from the same district in which the candidate is running. This form cannot be signed earlier than the first Wednesday after the first Monday in November of the year preceding the election in which the candidate is running. The notification and declaration form must be filed by 4 p.m. on the first Friday following the first Monday in January preceding the primary election. A candidate defeated at the primary election is not permitted to run in the general election, with the exception of candidates running in a presidential preference primary.

Political organization convention candidates

A political organization candidate is nominated at his or her political organization's convention. Only registered voters of the political organization can attend and vote at the convention. The Kentucky Statutes do not stipulate the time at which a convention must be held; however, it must be held prior to the filing deadline in order to complete all necessary paperwork. The candidate must file nomination papers by the first Tuesday after the first Monday in June preceding the day fixed by law for the election of the office being sought.

Petition candidates

Political organization, political group, and independent candidates may all run for office as petition candidates. A candidate running for state executive office or state legislative office must first file a statement of candidacy form with the Kentucky Secretary of State. This form must be filed by 4 p.m. on April 1 (or the next business day if April 1 falls on a weekend or holiday). No charge is assessed for the filing of this form. A petition signed by the candidate and by registered voters in the district from which the candidate seeks nomination must be filed with the Kentucky Secretary of State. Candidates may begin gathering signatures after the first Wednesday after the first Monday in November of the year preceding the general election in which the candidate is running.

Petitions must be filed by the first Tuesday after the first Monday in June preceding the day fixed by law for the holding of regular elections for the offices sought. Signature requirements vary according to the office being sought. Examples are provided in the table below.

Signature requirements for petition candidates in Kentucky
Office sought	Number of signatures required
Kentucky state executive office	5,000
Member of the United States Congress	400
Member of the Kentucky General Assembly	100

Write-in candidates

Though write-in candidates' names are not printed on the ballot, they may be written in by a voter. In order for a write-in vote to be counted, the write-in candidate must file a declaration of intent with the Kentucky Secretary of State by the fourth Friday in October preceding the general election. A candidate can be a write-in for only one office and will be considered ineligible for write-in status if he or she has already been placed on the ballot by a different method.

All candidates

Any registered voter may challenge the "good faith of a candidate” at any time before the election. No specific challenge period is designated in the Kentucky Statutes.

A candidate may only run for one office at a time, as his or her name cannot appear on the ballot more than once.

All candidates are subject to filing fees. These fees are outlined in the table below. The Kentucky Secretary of State accepts personal checks, campaign account checks, cash, or money orders for payment of filing fees.

Filing fees for candidates in Kentucky
Office sought	Filing fee
Member of the United States Congress	$500.00
Governor of Kentucky	$500.00
Kentucky Attorney General	$500.00
Kentucky Secretary of State	$500.00
Kentucky Auditor	$500.00
Kentucky Treasurer	$500.00
Kentucky Commissioner of Agriculture	$500.00
Kentucky Senator	$200.00
Kentucky Representative	$200.00
Write-in candidate	$50.00

2020 ballot access requirements

The table below details filing requirements for Kentucky State Senate candidates in the 2020 election cycle.

Filing requirements for state legislative candidates, 2020
Chamber name	Party	Signatures required	Filing fee	Filing deadline	Source
Kentucky State Senate	Qualified party	2	$200.00	1/10/2020	Source
Kentucky State Senate	Unaffiliated	100	$200.00	6/2/2020	Source

Qualifications

See also: State legislature candidate requirements by state

To be eligible to serve in the Kentucky State Senate, a candidate must be:

• At least 30 years of age at the time of the election
• A citizen of Kentucky
• Resided in the state 6 years preceding the election
• Resided in the district for the last year

Salaries and per diem

See also: Comparison of state legislative salaries

State legislative salaries, 2024
Salary	Per diem
$188.22/calendar day during session for legislators whose terms began before 2023. $203.28/calendar day for legislators whose terms began after 2023.	$182.60/day

When sworn in

See also: When state legislators assume office after a general election

Kentucky legislators assume office the first day of January after their election.

Kentucky political history

Trifectas

A state government trifecta is a term that describes single-party government, when one political party holds the governor's office and has majorities in both chambers of the legislature in a state government.

Kentucky Party Control: 1992-2024
Eight years of Democratic trifectas  •  Three years of Republican trifectas
Scroll left and right on the table below to view more years.

Year	92	93	94	95	96	97	98	99	00	01	02	03	04	05	06	07	08	09	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	22	23	24
Governor	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	R	R	R	R	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	R	R	R	R	D	D	D	D	D
Senate	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R
House	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R

Presidential politics in Kentucky

2016 Presidential election results

U.S. presidential election, Kentucky, 2016
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes	Electoral votes
	Democratic	Hillary Clinton/Tim Kaine	32.7%	628,854	0
	Republican	Donald Trump/Mike Pence	62.5%	1,202,971	8
	Libertarian	Gary Johnson/Bill Weld	2.8%	53,752	0
	Green	Jill Stein/Ajamu Baraka	0.7%	13,913	0
	American Delta	Roque De La Fuente/Michael Steinberg	0.1%	1,128	0
	Independent	Evan McMullin/Nathan Johnson	1.2%	22,780	0
	-	Write-in votes	0%	751	0
Total Votes				1,924,149	8
Election results via: Kentucky Secretary of State

Voter information

How the primary works

A primary election is an election in which registered voters select a candidate that they believe should be a political party's candidate for elected office to run in the general election. They are also used to choose convention delegates and party leaders. Primaries are state-level and local-level elections that take place prior to a general election. Kentucky utilizes a closed primary process, in which the selection of a party's candidates in an election is limited to registered party members.

For information about which offices are nominated via primary election, see this article.

Poll times

In Kentucky, all polls are open from 6:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. Central and Eastern Time. All those in line by 6:00 p.m. will be permitted to vote.

Registration requirements

Check your voter registration status here.

According to the Kentucky State Board of Elections, in order to register to vote, a person must:

“

Be a U.S. citizen and a Kentucky resident for at least 28 days before the election. Non-U.S. citizens, including U.S. nationals do not qualify; Be at least 18 years old by the next General Election; Kentucky law allows qualified individuals to register at 17 years of age and be able to participate in a Primary Election if the individual will be 18 years old by the General Election; Not be a convicted felon (or, if convicted of a felony, my right to vote has been restored following an expungement, Executive Pardon, or Executive Order; Not have been judged mentally incompetent in a court of law and have voting rights removed; Not claim the right to vote outside Kentucky.

”

The deadline to submit a voter registration application is 29 days before an election, unless that day is a state or federal holiday. If mailed, applications must be postmarked by that deadline.

Voter registration applications may be completed online, mailed to the county clerk's office, or submitted in person at the county clerk's office.

Automatic registration

Kentucky does not practice automatic voter registration.

Online registration

See also: Online voter registration

Kentucky has implemented an online voter registration system. Residents can register to vote by visiting this website.

Same-day registration

Kentucky does not allow same-day voter registration.

Residency requirements

Kentucky law requires 28 days of residency in the state before a person may vote.

Verification of citizenship

See also: Laws permitting noncitizens to vote in the United States

Kentucky does not require proof of citizenship for voter registration. An individual must attest that they are a U.S. citizen when registering to vote. According to the state's voter registration application, "per KRS 119.025, any person who causes himself to be registered when he is not legally entitled to register, shall be subject to penalties including fines and/or a term of imprisonment not less than one (1) year nor more than (5) years."

All 49 states with voter registration systems require applicants to declare that they are U.S. citizens in order to register to vote in state and federal elections, under penalty of perjury or other punishment. As of November 2024, five states — Alabama, Arizona, Georgia, Kansas, and New Hampshire — had passed laws requiring verification of citizenship at the time of voter registration. However, only two of those states' laws were in effect, in Arizona and New Hampshire. In three states — California, Maryland, and Vermont — at least one local jurisdiction allowed noncitizens to vote in some local elections as of November 2024. Noncitizens registering to vote in those elections must complete a voter registration application provided by the local jurisdiction and are not eligible to register as state or federal voters.

Verifying your registration

The Voter Information Center site, run by the Kentucky State Board of Elections, allows residents to check their voter registration status online.

Voter ID requirements

Kentucky requires voters to present identification while voting.

Voters can present the following forms of identification:

• Driver’s license
• Social Security card
• County issued identification card approved in writing by the State Board of Elections
• U.S. government-issued identification card
• Kentucky state government-issued identification card with a picture
• Credit card
• Any form of ID containing both picture and signature

If a precinct officer is a personal acquaintance of the voter, the voter does not have to produce identification.

Early voting

Kentucky permits early voting. Learn more by visiting this website.

Early voting permits citizens to cast ballots in person at a polling place prior to an election. In states that permit no-excuse early voting, a voter does not have to provide an excuse for being unable to vote on Election Day. States that allow voters to cast no-excuse absentee/mail-in ballots in person are counted as no-excuse early voting states.

As of February 2024, 47 states and the District of Columbia permitted no-excuse early voting.

Absentee voting

A Kentucky voter is eligible to vote absentee in an election if he or she cannot make it to the polls on Election Day for one of the following reasons:

• The voter is advanced in age, disabled, or ill
• The voter is a member of the United States Military or is a dependent of a member of the military
• The voter is an overseas citizen
• The voter is a student who temporarily resides outside the county
• The voter is temporarily residing outside of Kentucky and maintains eligibility to vote in Kentucky, such as a "snowbird"
• The voter is incarcerated, but not yet convicted of a crime
• The voter is unable to vote in-person because of his or her employment location
• The voter is a participant in the Secretary of State's crime victim address confidentiality protection program
• The voter is subject to a medical emergency within fourteen days or less of an election
• The voter has change their residence or registered in a new state after the date on which that state closes their registration before a presidential election, than the voter may cast an absentee ballot by mail in Kentucky

Absentee ballots can only be requested through an online portal established by the State Board of Elections. Disabled, military and overseas, and voters subject to medical emergencies may also request an absentee ballot through their county clerk. Eligible voters who do not have internet access may give their information to a county clerk by phone to request an absentee ballot.

State law allows for the portal to be open between 45 and 14 days immediately preceding a primary or general election.

See also

• Kentucky State Senate
• Kentucky State Legislature
• State legislative elections, 2020

External links

Suggest a link

• Kentucky State Legislature

Footnotes

[show]

Current members of the Kentucky State Senate

Leadership

Senate President:Robert Stivers

Majority Leader:Damon Thayer

Minority Leader:Gerald Neal

Senators

District 1

Jason Howell (R)

District 2

Danny Carroll (R)

District 3

Whitney Westerfield (R)

District 4

Robby Mills (R)

District 5

Stephen Meredith (R)

District 6

Lindsey Tichenor (R)

District 7

Adrienne Southworth (R)

District 8

Gary Boswell (R)

District 9

David Givens (R)

District 10

Matthew Deneen (R)

District 11

John Schickel (R)

District 12

Amanda Bledsoe (R)

District 13

Reggie Thomas (D)

District 14

Jimmy Higdon (R)

District 15

Rick Girdler (R)

District 16

Max Wise (R)

District 17

Damon Thayer (R)

District 18

Robin Webb (D)

District 19

Cassie Chambers Armstrong (D)

District 20

Gex Williams (R)

District 21

Brandon Storm (R)

District 22

Donald Douglas (R)

District 23

Chris McDaniel (R)

District 24

Shelley Frommeyer (R)

District 25

Robert Stivers (R)

District 26

Karen Berg (D)

District 27

Steve West (R)

District 28

Greg Elkins (R)

District 29

Vacant

District 30

Brandon Smith (R)

District 31

Phillip Wheeler (R)

District 32

Mike Wilson (R)

District 33

Gerald Neal (D)

District 34

Jared Carpenter (R)

District 35

Denise Angel (D)

District 36

Julie Adams (R)

District 37

David Yates (D)

District 38

Mike Nemes (R)

Republican Party (30)

Democratic Party (7)

Vacancies (1)