# Fayette County voters prepare for May 19 primary election  
**Published:** 2026-05-17T10:00:52.000Z  
**Source:** [CivicLex](https://news.civiclex.org/lexingtons-may-19th-primary-guide-catch-up-on-local-races-and-how-you-can-vote/)  
**AI-generated:** yes (claude-haiku-4-5-20251001)  
**Canonical:** https://feeds.lexingtonky.news/article/fayette-county-voters-prepare-for-may-19-primary-election

LEXINGTON, Ky. — Fayette County voters will cast ballots Tuesday in a primary election that will determine which candidates advance to November's general election for mayor, city council and judicial positions, according to [CivicLex](https://news.civiclex.org/lexingtons-may-19th-primary-guide-catch-up-on-local-races-and-how-you-can-vote/).

[Polls will be open from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m.](https://www.lexingtonky.gov/living/county-state-services/voting-information) on May 19. The nonpartisan mayoral race is the most high-profile contest, with [seven candidates vying for two spots on the November ballot](https://ballotpedia.org/Mayoral_election_in_Lexington,_Kentucky_(2026)). Incumbent Mayor [Linda Gorton is running for her third term](https://www.lexingtonky.gov/government/mayors-office/about-mayor-linda-gorton), challenging candidates including Raquel Carter, Skip Horine, C.E. Huffman, Greg O'Neal, Ramazani Asmani and Darnell Tagaloa.

The primary will also feature a nonpartisan race for [Urban County Council District 5](https://www.lexingtonky.gov/government/office-urban-county-council), representing the city's south side, with candidates Stephenie Hoelscher, Michael McLaughlin and Nicholas Wolter. The two vote-getters advance to November. A district judge race for the 22nd Judicial District's 2nd Division will also appear on ballots, with candidates Shannon Brooks, Alex Garcia and Aaron F. Fallahi.

Registered Democrats will see additional primary races for county offices including Judge-Executive, County Commissioner, Constable and Magistrate. [Democratic candidates for county positions filed with the Fayette County Clerk's Office](https://fayettecountyclerk.com/web/elections/FiledCandidateInformationforWebsite.pdf), with races remaining competitive across multiple county offices.

[Early voting is available through Saturday at any of six Lexington Public Library locations from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.](https://www.lexpublib.org/voting) Voters who missed early voting may cast ballots Tuesday at their designated precinct or any library location during regular hours. [Voters must bring a photo ID](https://govote.ky.gov) and should verify their registration status ahead of Election Day.

For mail-in absentee ballots, requests must be submitted between April 4 and May 5, and ballots must be received by the Fayette County Clerk's Office at 162 East Main Street no later than 6 p.m. on May 19 to be counted. [Voters can review sample ballots and candidate information at Vote Local Lexington](https://lex.vote/).

## Sources

- [CivicLex](https://news.civiclex.org/lexingtons-may-19th-primary-guide-catch-up-on-local-races-and-how-you-can-vote/)
- [City of Lexington Kentucky - Voting information](https://www.lexingtonky.gov/living/county-state-services/voting-information)
- [2026 Lexington, Kentucky mayoral election - Ballotpedia](https://ballotpedia.org/Mayoral_election_in_Lexington,_Kentucky_(2026))
- [About Mayor Linda Gorton - City of Lexington](https://www.lexingtonky.gov/government/mayors-office/about-mayor-linda-gorton)
- [Lexington Public Library - Voter Information](https://www.lexpublib.org/voting)
- [Vote Local Lexington](https://lex.vote/)
- [Fayette County Clerk - Candidate Filings](https://fayettecountyclerk.com/web/elections/FiledCandidateInformationforWebsite.pdf)

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This article was generated by AI (claude-haiku-4-5-20251001) based on source material from CivicLex, enriched with 3 web searches. The original source is available at https://news.civiclex.org/lexingtons-may-19th-primary-guide-catch-up-on-local-races-and-how-you-can-vote/.