LEXINGTON, Ky. — Voters in Fayette County will head to the polls on May 19 for Kentucky's primary election, with opportunities to weigh in on contests for Lexington's mayor, city council, county offices, and state legislative positions, according to CivicLex.

The mayoral primary will pit incumbent Linda Gorton against Raquel Carter, a real estate executive and planning board chair. Gorton, who has served two terms since 2018 and highlighted achievements including the $40 million Legacy Trail extension and efforts to address homelessness, is seeking a third term. Carter is focusing on addressing the city's housing shortage and promoting responsible growth. The top two candidates will advance to the general election on November 3.

Kentucky operates closed primaries, meaning voters must have changed their party affiliation by December 31 of the prior year to participate in either the Democratic or Republican primary. Registered Democrats will see several county offices on their ballot, including county judge executive, county commissioner, magistrate, and constable races, while all voters regardless of party affiliation can participate in the nonpartisan mayoral and council district races.

The deadline to register to vote is 4 p.m. local time on April 20. Voters can check their registration status and find polling locations at govote.ky.gov. Polls will be open from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. local time, and voters must bring an acceptable form of photo identification, such as a Kentucky state ID, U.S. military ID, or college student ID.

Kentucky voters have multiple options beyond Election Day voting. Early in-person voting without an excuse takes place May 14-16 from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at six Lexington Public Library locations. The online portal to request a mail-in absentee ballot opened April 4 and remains available until 11:59 p.m. on May 5. Mail-in absentee ballots must be received by 6 p.m. on Election Day to be counted.

CivicLex is hosting candidate forums to help voters learn more about the races. A mayoral and council candidate event takes place April 29 at 6 p.m. at Henry Clay High School, with a county office candidate forum scheduled for May 6.