Paducah, Kentucky Public Records

The sheriff's office extends this cooperation beyond traditional law enforcement, working alongside other municipal departments like the Reidland-Farley Fire Department to address public safety concerns that cross jurisdictional boundaries.

Those registering need either a Kentucky driver's license or ID card number, or the last four digits of their Social Security number, and must complete the process at least 29 days before any election. Same-day voter registration is not available in the state. The city holds municipal elections for Mayor and City Commission seats under its commission form of government, which includes five commissioners elected at-large, with the mayor among them. These city elections occur in odd-numbered years, with the next one scheduled for 2025. Local ballot measures, city ordinances, and candidate information are published through the City Clerk's office and picked up by local media outlets. Residents can find their assigned polling place by visiting the Kentucky State Board of Elections website at elect.ky.gov and using the Voter Information Center, which requires a name and date of birth, or by contacting the Mc Cracken County Clerk directly. Polling locations also appear on voter registration cards mailed to all registered voters. During the November 2024 presidential election, McCracken County recorded turnout of approximately 59-62%, with roughly 26,000-28,000 ballots cast from approximately 45,000 registered voters. Publicly accessible election records in Kentucky include voter registration lists, available for purchase by candidates and political parties under restricted use guidelines, campaign finance reports filed with the Kentucky Registry of Election Finance and searchable at kref.ky.gov, candidate filings and declarations available through the Mc Cracken County Clerk, and precinct-level election results published by both the Mc Cracken County Clerk and State Board of Elections after each election. On November 3, 2026, voters in Paducah and McCracken County will decide several significant races. Kentucky does not have a U.S. Senate seat up in 2026, and the state holds gubernatorial elections in odd years, with the next in 2027. The ballot will include the U.S. House of Representatives race for Kentucky's 1st Congressional District, which covers Paducah, potential races for Kentucky State Senate District 1 if up in the cycle, Kentucky State House District 6 covering the Paducah area, McCracken County offices including County Judge/Executive, Sheriff, County Clerk, County Attorney, Jailer, Coroner, and Magistrates, along with potential school board positions and any local tax or bond referendums. Absentee voting in Kentucky is available for specific reasons: being age 65 or older, illness, disability, student status outside the county, military service, or acting as a precinct worker assigned elsewhere. Applications for mail-in absentee ballots must be requested from the Mc Cracken County Clerk and received by the Tuesday before the election. In-person absentee voting, which also requires an excuse, is available at the Mc Cracken County Clerk's office during a specified period before Election Day. The state does not have universal no-excuse mail voting; voters must qualify under specific statutory reasons. Early voting, which is in-person and requires no excuse, was expanded in recent years and is available at designated locations beginning several days before Election Day, with the Mc Cracken County Clerk's office serving as an early voting center.