{"data":{"id":"us-ky/krs-118a.100","jurisdiction":"us-ky","citation":"KRS 118A.100","heading":"Filling vacancy for unexpired term -- Petition for nomination --","body":"Ineligibility of Senior Status Special Judge.\n(1) Candidates for an unexpired term of a judicial office to be filled at a regular\nelection shall be nominated at the primary nex t preceding the regular election in the\nmanner prescribed in KRS 118A.060 if the vacancy occurs not later than the second\nFriday in December preceding the primary. If the vacancy occurs on or after that\ndate, the election to fill the unexpired term shall b e held in accordance with the\nprocedures described in this section and Section 152 of the Constitution of\nKentucky.\n(2) Each candidate shall file a petition for nomination with the Secretary of State not\nearlier than the first Wednesday after the first Mon day in November of the year\npreceding the year in which the election for the unexpired term will be held and not\nlater than the first Tuesday after the first Monday in June preceding the day fixed\nby law for holding the regular election for the unexpired term, if the vacancy occurs\nprior to the first Tuesday following the first Monday in June. If the vacancy occurs\nafter the first Tuesday following the first Monday in June, each candidate shall file\na petition for nomination with the Secretary of State not later than the second\nTuesday in August preceding the day fixed by law for holding the regular election\nfor the unexpired term. The petition shall be sworn to by the candidate and by not\nless than two (2) registered voters from the district or circuit from  which he or she\nseeks nomination, before an officer authorized to administer an oath. Signatures for\nnomination papers shall not be affixed on the document to be filed prior to the first\nWednesday after the first Monday in November of the year preceding t he year in\nwhich the office will appear on the ballot. The petition shall be filed no later than 4\np.m. local time at the place of filing when filed on the last date on which the papers\nare permitted to be filed.\n(3) The petition for nomination shall be in  the form prescribed by the State Board of\nElections. The petition shall include a declaration sworn to by the candidate, that he\nor she possesses all the constitutional and statutory requirements of the office for\nwhich the candidate has filed. Titles, ra nks, or spurious phrases shall not be\naccepted on the petition and shall not be printed on the ballots as part of the\ncandidate's name; however, nicknames, initials, and contractions of given names\nmay be acceptable as the candidate's name.\n(4) The Secreta ry of State shall examine the petition of each candidate to determine\nwhether it is regular on its face. If there is an error, the Secretary of State shall\nnotify the candidate by certified mail within twenty-four (24) hours of filing.\n(5) The order of names on the ballot for each district or circuit, and numbered division\nif divisions exist, shall be determined by lot at a public drawing to be held in the\noffice of the Secretary of State at 2 p.m., standard time, on the Thursday following\nthe first Tuesday  after the first Monday in June preceding the regular election for\nthose petitions for nomination required to be filed no later than the first Tuesday\nfollowing the first Monday in June. For those petitions for nomination required to\nbe filed no later than  the second Tuesday in August, the order of names on the\nballot for each district and circuit, and numbered division if divisions exist, shall be\ndetermined by lot at a public drawing to be held in the office of the Secretary of\nState at 2 p.m., standard t ime, on the Thursday following the second Tuesday in\nAugust preceding the regular election.\n(6) Not later than the date set forth in KRS 118.215 and after the order of names on the\nballot has been determined as required in subsection (5) of this section, t he\nSecretary of State shall:\n(a) Certify to the county clerks of the respective counties entitled to participate in\nthe election of the various candidates, the name and place of residence of each\ncandidate for each office, by district or circuit, and numbe red division if\ndivisions exist, as specified in the petitions for nomination filed with the\nSecretary of State; and\n(b) Designate for the county clerks the office of the Court of Justice with which\nthe names of candidates shall be printed and the order in  which they are to\nappear on the ballot.\n(7) The ballot position of a candidate shall not be changed after the ballot position has\nbeen designated by the county clerk.\n(8) The county clerks of each county shall cause to be printed on the ballots, including\nabsentee ballots, for the regular election the names of the candidates for offices of\nthe Court of Justice.\n(9) The names of the candidates shall be placed on the ballots in a separate column or\ncolumns or in a separate line or lines and identified by the words \"Judicial Ballot,\"\nand in a manner so that the casting of a vote for all of the candidates of a political\nparty will not operate to cast a vote for judicial candidates. The words \"Vote for\none\" or \"Vote for one in each division,\" shall be printed on the appropriate location.\nThe office, numbered division if divisions exist, and the candidates therefor shall be\nclearly labeled. No party designation or emblem of any kind, nor any sign\nindicating any candidate's political belief or party affiliation, shall be used on any\nballot.\n(10) The candidate receiving the highest number of votes cast at the regular election for\na district or circuit, or for a numbered division if divisions exist, shall be elected.\n(11) A judge who elected to retire as a Senior Status Special Judge in accordance with\nKRS 21.580 shall not become a candidate or a nominee for any elected office\nduring the five (5) year term prescribed in KRS 21.580(1)(a)1., regardless of the\nnumber of days served by the judge acting as a Senior Status Special Judge.","path":["KRS Chapter 118A"],"source_url":"https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/law/statutes/statute.aspx?id=54657","current_through":"Includes enactments through the 2026 Regular Session","vintage":"09/05/2026","retrieved_at":"2026-09-05T20:50:16Z","sha256":"89f923de4a2ddf926b8c68ebd84cdcc33df911463f142530321766d1b805283e","source_id":"us-ky","stale":false,"prev":"us-ky/krs-118a.090","next":"us-ky/krs-118a.105"},"notice":"GroundRules: Original legal text. Not legal advice."}