Ballots in Jefferson County will be much different.

This primary.

For the first time, Metro Council and mayoral races are nonpartisan as mandated by state law.

Our June Lefler has more on how voters and political parties are adjusting.

To understand the new voting landscape in Louisville.

You have to look back two years to a heated debate in the state.

Jefferson County Republicans representing the outskirts of Louisville pushed for these local nonpartisan elections.

If you won the Democrat primary, that was the end of the day.

The mayoral general election has not been competitive.

In a county where Democratic voters outnumber Republicans nearly 2 to 1, and there hasn't been a Republican mayor since 1969 to secure the Democratic primary.

The state lawmaker says candidates courted the city's urban core, a Democratic stronghold, rather than the slightly more Republican suburbs.

And so I wanted them to have to come out here to get votes, because if you have to hunt a vote somewhere, you care more about their libraries and about their roads.

You care more about the crime in that area.

Democrats in Frankfort hated the change, and this nonpartisan community organizer says it's caused some suspicion.

There have been theories that this change in the law was an attempt to allow for more conservative candidates to have a better chance of winning elections here in Louisville.

For the first time.

Two Republicans could wind up on the general ballot, but even they say that's unlikely.

The incumbent who has raised the most money is current Democratic Mayor Craig Greenberg.

He's more than likely going to be one of the two names, you know.

And of course, we as Republicans would hope that the second name will be a registered Republican, one of the four that are currently running.

The Democratic Party has propped up Greenberg and other Democrats running for Metro Council.

Where there are lots of Democrats and perhaps 1 or 2 Republicans.

You know, we made some endorsements in those races because we just want to make sure that we don't run into a situation where there's two Democrats or, sorry, two Republicans, ten Democrats and the two Republicans go through.

That is the absolute worst case scenario.

The Republican Party has, as always, not made endorsements.

We don't pick the winner.

We don't pick the favorite.

We want the voters to do that.

As far as the Republican side of things, I haven't seen them really push any particular candidates as far as getting two Republicans into that final, that final two, that runoff.

I mean, it's slim to none chances that actually happens.

But two Democrats at the end is a real possibility.

And what, say, would the Republican Party have in that case?

Come back and talk to me, because that's going to be something that we're going to have to consider as an executive committee and say, okay, is this one we completely sit out on, or how do we want to engage.

This community organizer says she's not harping on party affiliation.

To us, we are more focused on who the candidate is as a candidate.

Somebody who has shared lived experience is a candidate, somebody who has a very clear vision about what they want to do in our community.

Are they someone who is going to fight for us and really represent us?

And more importantly, are they going to invite us into being able to govern our communities with them?

She's reaching out to black and unlikely voters.

Another voting block.

Independents who make up 6% of Jefferson County voters, can now vote in the mayoral primary.

For Kentucky edition, I'm Jen Leffler.

Metro Council member seats are also nonpartisan this year.

Democrats maintain a slim 14 to 12 majority.