{"data":{"id":"us-ky/krs-83a.100","jurisdiction":"us-ky","citation":"KRS 83A.100","heading":"Division of city into wards or hybrid wards -- Equality of population --","body":"Creation, alteration, or abolition of wards -- Nomination and election of\nlegislative body members.\n(1) The legislative body of a city may by ordinance divide the city i nto wards by either\nof the following methods:\n(a) The city may create the same number of wards as the number of legislative\nbody members. Wards shall be as nearly equal in population as practicable\nand their boundaries shall be fixed by the ordinance: or\n(b) The city may establish a hybrid ward system for the conduct of its legislative\nbody elections. A city acting under this paragraph shall provide in the\nordinance that a specific number of legislative body seats shall be subject to\nthe ward system and tha t a specific number of legislative body seats shall be\nelected at large within the entire city without representing a particular ward.\nThe wards created under this paragraph shall be as nearly equal in population\nas practicable and their boundaries shall be fixed by ordinance.\n(2) The populations of wards shall be reviewed as necessary to ensure that populations\nare as nearly equal as practicable, but the populations of wards shall be reviewed\nfor equalization at least as often as each regular federal census.\n(3) Wards may be abolished by repeal of the ordinance creating them. No creation,\nalteration or abolition of wards shall occur later than the first Wednesday after the\nfirst Monday in November of the year preceding the year in which the city\nlegislative offices will appear on the ballot.\n(4) If a city is divided into wards, legislative body members shall be nominated and\nelected in the following manner:\n(a) Members shall be elected in the regular November election at large, but each\ncandidate shall resid e in the ward he or she seeks to represent and shall be\nelected in such a manner that each ward is equally represented on the\nlegislative body. The names shall be presented in the election to show for\nwhich ward each candidate is seeking election and voters shall be instructed to\n\"vote for one candidate in each ward.\" The candidate receiving the highest\nnumber of votes cast in each ward shall be deemed to be elected from such\nward;\n(b) Persons seeking the nomination of a political party for the office of le gislative\nbody member where a primary election is required for the political party, shall\nbe voted upon exclusively by the eligible voters of the ward in which the\nperson resides and seeks to represent;\n(c) Except as provided by paragraph (d) of this subse ction, persons seeking\nnomination for the office of legislative body member in a nonpartisan election\nwhere a primary is conducted pursuant to KRS 83A.170 shall be voted upon\nat large by the voters of the city, and the two (2) candidates receiving the\nhighest number of votes cast in each ward shall be deemed to be nominated\nfrom that ward; and\n(d) The city may provide specifically in the ordinance required by subsection (1)\nof this section that persons seeking nomination for the office of legislative\nbody member in a nonpartisan primary conducted pursuant to KRS 83A.170\nshall be voted upon exclusively by the eligible voters of the ward in which the\nperson resides and seeks to represent. The two (2) candidates receiving the\nhighest number of votes cast in eac h ward shall be deemed to be nominated\nfrom the ward.\n(5) Any city enacting or amending an ordinance to establish or abolish wards, modify\nward boundaries, or establish the manner of elections under subsection (4) of this\nsection shall be completed within the time specified by subsection (3) of this\nsection, and the ci ty shall forward a copy of the ordinance to the county clerk or\ncounty clerks of the county or counties in which the city is located.","path":["KRS Chapter 83A"],"source_url":"https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/law/statutes/statute.aspx?id=53992","current_through":"Includes enactments through the 2026 Regular Session","vintage":"09/05/2026","retrieved_at":"2026-09-05T20:49:44Z","sha256":"e9322915c8c5efc27fda6333a6b950ecc0db77d61e4340a3d2751c74125ecf46","source_id":"us-ky","stale":false,"prev":"us-ky/krs-83a.090","next":"us-ky/krs-83a.110"},"notice":"GroundRules: Original legal text. Not legal advice."}