Title X, Elections

As used in this chapter: (1) "Audit log" means a detailed record of all actions and events that have occurred on the voting system, including: (a) Log-in attempts with username and time stamp; (b) Election definition and setup; (c) Ballot preparation and results processing; (d) D…

(1) There shall be a State Board of Elections that is an independent agency of state government, which shall administer the election laws of the state and supervise registration and purgation of voters within the state. The board: (a) May promulgate administrative regulations nec…

The State Board of Elections may declare a county to be a preclearance county for election purposes when that county has a history of voter fraud, noncompliance with election laws, or voter complaints about the integrity of a particular election. In a county designated as a precl…

The Attorney General, the Secretary of State, and the State Board of Elections, by mutual agreement, may petition Franklin Circuit Court to declare that an election crisis exists in a county where there is evidence of sufficient malfeasance, nonfeasance, or criminal activity to j…

(1) The State Board of Elections shall appoint an executive director, who shall be the chief administrative officer for the board. The board shall also appoint an assistant director, who shall be of a different political party than the director. The salaries of the director and t…

The State Board of Elections shall promulgate administrative regulations and procedures necessary to: (1) Designate which election records and materials shall be retained; (2) Establish the manner in which the records and materials shall be maintained; (3) Establish by whom the r…

illegal acts, penalties, and right to report administrative errors at polling places. (1) The State Board of Elections shall publish and broadcast announcements throughout the state regarding the importance of voting in a free and conscientious manner, procedures for registering …

Meetings -- Questions regarding voter registration and proof of identification - - Staff. (1) There shall be a county board of elections, which shall, at the direction and under the supervision of the State Board of Elections, administer the election laws and the registration and…

Minors permitted to serve as election officers -- Reimbursement. (1) (a) The county board of elections shall in the manner prescribed by this section, not later than March 20 each year, except in a year in which no primary and regular elections are scheduled, appoint for each pre…

boundary file -- Failure of board to perform duty -- Coordination of precinct boundary changes with other boundaries. Subject to KRS 117.0551 to 117.0555: (1) Each county shall be divided into election precincts by the county board of elections. Each election precinct shall be co…

(1) A county board of elections shall establish election precincts so that each boundary of each precinct follows: (a) A boundary described in KRS 117.055(1); (b) The boundary of an incorporated city; (c) A boundary of an urban-county legislative district established under KRS Ch…

(1) As used in KRS 117.055 to 117.0555 and KRS 117.0557, "establish a precinct" shall include the following: (a) Creating a new precinct; (b) Dividing one (1) precinct into two (2) or more precincts; (c) Combining two (2) or more precincts into one (1) precinct; and (d) Altering …

returned orders. (1) The executive director of the State Board of Elections or his designee shall examine each proposed precinct establishment order submitted under KRS 117.0552 to determine if the order would establish precincts in compliance with KRS 117.055 to 117.0552. (2) If…

(1) When a proposed precinct establishment order has been returned to the county board of elections under KRS 117.0553, and the county board of elections has determined that the noncompliance described by the executive director cannot be corrected by the establishment of a precin…

If the county board of elections believes that the proposed order returned under KRS 117.0553(3) complies with KRS 117.055 to 117.0552, the county board may resubmit the order to the executive director and request a hearing before the State Board of Elections. If the State Board …

Opportunity for comment. For the purposes of implementing KRS 7.550: (1) The State Board of Elections shall provide the Legislative Research Commission: (a) A copy of each proposed precinct establishment order submitted under KRS 117.0552; (b) A copy of each request for an exempt…

The boundaries of all election precincts in the Commonwealth shall comply with KRS 117.055 and 117.0551, and all county boards of elections shall have filed with the State Board of Elections digital precinct boundary files and detailed descriptions of precinct boundaries that pro…

(1) The provisions of KRS 117.055 notwithstanding, the county boards of elections shall maintain the boundaries of election precincts from January 1 of each year ending in "0" until the termination of the next following regular or extraordinary session of the General Assembly whi…

The county board of elections shall not add territory to, delete territory from, or otherwise change the boundary of any congressional, representative, or senatorial district without legislative approval to redefine the district in the form of a legislative act changing the distr…

to designate as voting places buildings constructed with tax revenues -- Notice to local board of education if school building is designated -- Voter accessibility -- Immediate telephone accessibility. (1) The county board of elections shall, not later than January 15 of each yea…

consolidation of precincts -- Consideration of petition by Secretary of State and State Board of Elections. (1) The county board of elections may, pursuant to KRS 117.055 and subsection (3) of this section, designate a single voting location for more than one (1) precinct if the …

Proof of identification -- In-person absentee voting procedure -- Voter assistance form -- Oath of voter affidavit -- Signature roster -- Members of county board may serve as precinct officers -- Challengers -- Locking of voting equipment -- Transmitting or publicizing count -- T…

In case of a medical emergency within fourteen (14) days or less of an election, a registered voter and the registered voter's spouse may apply for an absentee ballot. The application shall state that the emergency condition occurred within the fourteen (14) day period. The appli…

overseas voters. The provisions of KRS 117.076, 117.085, 117.086, and Chapter 117A notwithstanding, the State Board of Elections shall, as circumstances warrant and with the concurrence of the Attorney General, promulgate necessary administrative regulations to preserve the absen…

means -- Procedures -- Cancellation -- Administrative regulations. (1) (a) All requests for a mail-in absentee ballot shall be requested through a secure online portal established by the State Board of Elections, except for: 1. Voters identified in KRS 117.077; 2. Disabled voters…

ballots. Absentee ballots and federal provisional absentee ballots cast, as absentee ballots and federal provisional absentee ballots are provided by KRS 117.076 117.077, 117.085, and 117.229 shall all be tabulated in the same manner, as shall be provided by this chapter. Effecti…

ballot box -- Clerk's duty to keep separate lists for votes cast by mail-in absentee ballot, by excused and no-excuse in-person voting, and by federal provisional in-person absentee ballot -- Report on rejected absentee ballots. (1) (a) The voter returning his or her absentee bal…

(1) No person shall knowingly collect, gain possession of, deliver, or exercise control over a mail-in absentee ballot, except for: (a) A voter personally casting his or her ballot by means of mail-in absentee ballot; (b) An election official engaged in official duties as prescri…

assistant. (1) Except for those voters who have been certified as requiring assistance in voting on a permanent or annual basis, any person voting by means of a mail-in absentee ballot or in-person absentee ballot who receives assistance in voting shall be required to complete th…

federal provisional absentee ballot -- Penalty. Any person who aids another in completing an absentee ballot or a federal provisional absentee ballot shall not solicit or encourage that person to vote for or against any candidate, party, or issue. Any person who violates this sec…

absentee ballots -- Counting procedure -- Limitation on publicizing partial results. (1) The challenge of a mail-in absentee ballot shall be in writing and in the hands of the county clerk before 8 a.m. on the day preceding any primary, regular election, or special election day. …

persons. (1) For purposes of this section, "blind or visually impaired individual" means an individual who: (a) Has a visual acuity of 20/200 or less in the better eye with correcting lenses or has a limited field of vision so that the widest diameter of the visual field subtends…

(1) The legislative body of any county, urban-county government, charter county, consolidated local government, or unified local government shall purchase or lease, from available funds or from the proceeds of bonds which may be issued for that purpose, voting systems for use in …

The legislative body of any county, urban-county government, charter county, consolidated local government, or unified local government may select, in its discretion, any type and make of voting system or e-poll book product that complies with the specifications and requirements …

for approval. (1) A voting system or voting equipment shall be approved for use by the State Board of Elections, either upon initial examination or reexamination, and voting equipment or a voting system shall not be purchased unless the system and equipment has been certified und…

When voting equipment is acquired by any county, the voting equipment shall: (1) Be immediately placed in the custody of the county clerk; (2) Remain in the county clerk's custody at all times except when in use during in- person absentee voting, during an election, or when in th…

official affirmations, federal provisional ballots, and paper ballots -- Provision for write-in votes. (1) At least forty-five (45) days before any special election, and at least fifty (50) days before any primary or regular election, the county clerk of each county shall cause t…

(1) A ranked-choice voting method that allows electors to rank candidates for an office in order of preference and has ballots cast to be tabulated in multiple rounds following the elimination of a candidate until a single candidate attains a majority shall not be used in determi…

The county clerk shall place all ballots required to be placed upon voting equipment in such a manner as will most nearly conform to the plan of arrangement prescribed by the Secretary of State under KRS 118.215. The county clerk shall then see that the counters referred to in KR…

may be present during examination. (1) Upon completing the preparation of the voting systems, including any voting equipment in operation, in accordance with KRS 117.155, and not later than the Thursday preceding the day of the election, the county clerk shall notify the members …

The county clerk shall, with the county attorney, prepare a sufficient number of instruction cards containing instructions as to the proper method of voting by the use of the voting equipment, and instructions as to the proper method of casting a write-in vote. For federal provis…

county officials -- Training and compensation by county board of elections for election officers and certified challengers. (1) The State Board of Elections shall regularly provide special training regarding the election laws and methods of enforcement to all members of county bo…

supplies -- County clerk to take receipt and retain keys to all ballot boxes and ballot receptacles. (1) At least one (1) hour prior to the opening of the polls, the county clerk shall deliver the voting equipment, with the operating device and mechanism and the device covering t…

equipment. Before the polls are open, and before permitting any person to vote on the day of the election, the election officers shall examine the voting equipment to ascertain whether it has been operated since the counters referred to in KRS 117.125(1)(q) and (r) were set at ze…

of votes -- Backup voting equipment or paper ballots for emergency use. (1) If, during the conduct of an election, voting equipment, or any part of a voting system, no longer operates in a manner that will comply with the provisions of this chapter, the election officers shall lo…

of original registration forms to compare signature -- Voting supplemental paper ballot. (1) Any person desiring to vote on election day shall give his or her name and address to the clerk of the election and shall provide proof of identification as defined in KRS 117.001. (2) A …

Except as otherwise provided, election officers shall confirm the identity of each voter by proof of identification as defined in KRS 117.001. The election officer confirming the identity shall sign the precinct voter roster and list the method of proof of identification.

identification. (1) On the day of a primary, an election, or during in-person absentee voting, if a voter is unable to provide proof of identification as required under KRS 117.225, and as defined under KRS 117.001, a voter may cast a ballot if the individual: (a) Is eligible to …

to provide proof of identification. On the day of a primary, an election, or during in-person absentee voting when a federal elective office is on the ballot, if a voter is unable to provide proof of identification, as required under KRS 117.225 and as defined under KRS 117.001, …

activities -- Maintenance of order -- Mock elections for school children -- Display of political campaign signs on private property. (1) No person, other than the election officers, challengers, person assisting voters in accordance with KRS 117.255(3), and a minor child in the c…