Charles David Yates (born June 3, 1980) is an American attorney and politician serving as the county clerk of Jefferson County, Kentucky. Yates was previously a member of the Kentucky Senate from January 2021 to October 2025.
Yates was born in Louisville, Kentucky. He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in political science from the University of Louisville in 2003 and a Juris Doctor from the Salmon P. Chase College of Law at Northern Kentucky University in 2006.
Yates began his career as a law clerk for Judge William Bertelsman. From 2006 to 2008, Yates served as an assistant attorney general of Kentucky. He has since worked as a personal injury attorney. Yates served as a member of the Louisville Metro Council from 2010 to 2020. He was elected to the Kentucky Senate in November 2020 and assumed office on January 1, 2021. He resigned in October 2025 after being appointed as interim clerk of Jefferson County.
Since 2021, Yates has been a primary sponsor of the following bills which have been considered by at least one house: