{"data":{"id":"us-ky/krs-117.315","jurisdiction":"us-ky","citation":"KRS 117.315","heading":"Appointment of challengers and inspectors.","body":"(1) Each political party is entitled to have not exceeding two (2) challengers at each\nprecinct during the holding of the primary election. Any group of bona fide\ncandidates, as defined in KRS 118.176, of the same political party equal to twenty -\nfive percent (25%) of all the candidates for that party to be voted for in a county in\nany primary, including state, district, and all other candidates, may recommend to\nthe county committee or governing authority of the party for the county a list of\npersons whom they desire to have appointed as challengers in each precinct in the\ncounty. If more than two (2) such lists are furnished, the committee or governing\nauthority, in making appointments of challengers, shall alternate between the\nseveral lists so furnished so as  to give to each list an equal amount or proportion of\nthe appointments, but in no event shall there be appointed more than one (1)\nchallenger for any precinct from any one (1) list. The list of challengers shall be\npresented to the chair or secretary of t he party committee of the county on or before\nthe third Friday in April preceding the primary, and the committee or the chairman\nthereof shall make the appointments, certify to same, and present a list of certified\nchallengers to the county clerk at least twenty (20) days before the date on which\nthe primary is held. The appointment of challengers shall be certified in all respects\nas challengers at regular elections, except as otherwise provided in this section. The\nchallengers shall be registered voters of the county in which the primary is held and\nshall be subject to the same penalties and possess the same rights and privileges as\nchallengers at regular elections, except that the challengers of one political party\nshall not be entitled to challenge perso ns who offer to vote for candidates of any\nother party in the primary. The provisions of this section shall be enforceable\nagainst the chair of the political party committees by a mandatory summary\nproceeding instituted in the Circuit Court. The order of t he court may be reviewed\nby the Court of Appeals as provided for the granting or dissolving of temporary\ninjunctions.\n(2) Any school board candidate, any independent ticket or candidate for city office, any\nnonpartisan city candidate, or candidate for an o ffice of the Court of Justice at the\nprimary or regular election may designate not more than one (1) challenger to be\npresent at and witness the holding of primaries or elections in each precinct in the\ncounty. A candidate who designates a challenger shall present the county clerk with\nthe name of the challenger at least twenty (20) days preceding the primary or regular\nelection. The challenger shall be entitled to stay in the room or at the door. The\nchallenger shall be a registered voter of the county in which the primary or election\nis held, shall be appointed in writing by the chair of the committee, independent\ncandidate, or candidates representing a ticket, and shall produce written\nappointment on demand of any election officer.\n(3) The county executive committee of any political party having a ticket to elect at any\nregular or special election may designate not more than two (2) challengers to be\npresent at and witness the holding of the election in each precinct in the county. The\nchallengers shall be entitled to stay in the room or at the door. The challengers shall\nbe registered voters of the county in which the election is held, shall be appointed in\nwriting signed by the chair of the committee, and shall produce written\nappointments on demand of an y election officer. The committee or chair shall\npresent the county clerk with a list of designated challengers at least twenty (20)\ndays preceding a regular election and at least fifteen (15) days preceding a special\nelection.\n(4) Except as provided in KR S Chapter 242, not later than the fourth Tuesday\npreceding an election at which constitutional amendments or other public questions\nare to be submitted to the vote of the people, any committee that in good faith\nadvocates or opposes an amendment or public question may file a petition with the\nclerk of the county asking that the petitioners be recognized as the committee\nentitled to nominate challengers to serve at the election at which the constitutional\namendment or public question is to be voted on. If mo re than one (1) committee\nalleging itself to advocate or oppose the same amendment file such a petition, the\ncounty board of elections shall decide, and announce by certified mail, return\nreceipt requested, to each committee not less than the third Tuesday  preceding the\nelection, which committee is entitled to nominate the challengers. The decision\nshall not be final, but any aggrieved party may institute proceedings with the county\njudge/executive and, upon hearing, the county judge/executive shall determi ne\nwhich of the committees shall be recognized as the one to select challengers at the\nelection.\n(5) The committee shall file the names of the persons nominated by it with the clerk of\nthe county at least twenty (20) days before the primary and regular elections and not\nless that fifteen (15) days preceding the date of a special election. The county board\nof elections shall, not later than the Thursday preceding the election, certify the\nnominees of the committee for the respective precincts to serve as challengers at the\nelection where any constitutional amendment or public question is to be voted upon.\nIf more than one (1) amendment or question is to be voted upon, the county board\nof elections may designate, on the petition of the committee, one (1) person for each\namendment and question to serve as challenger at the election.\n(6) The challengers shall perform their duties in the same manner and be subject to the\nsame privileges as other challengers at an election.","path":["KRS Chapter 117"],"source_url":"https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/law/statutes/statute.aspx?id=27426","current_through":"Includes enactments through the 2026 Regular Session","vintage":"09/05/2026","retrieved_at":"2026-09-05T20:50:13Z","sha256":"e14a4971df6c75172564a8bfd7ac14e923ed0ee1e269382fee5a0aae391abf81","source_id":"us-ky","stale":false,"prev":"us-ky/krs-117.310","next":"us-ky/krs-117.316"},"notice":"GroundRules: Original legal text. Not legal advice."}