(1) Except as provided in KRS § 83A.045(2)(b) governing vacancies in candidacy, candidates for unexpired terms to be filled at a regular election shall be nominated at the primary next preceding the regular election, if the vacancy occurred not less than one hundred sixty (160) days before the primary.
(2) If the vacancy occurred less than one hundred sixty (160) days before the primary, the nomination shall be made in a manner determined by the governing authority of the political party concerned as defined in KRS § 118.015. Certificates of nomination shall be filed as required with the Secretary of State or county clerk not later than the first Tuesday after the first Monday in June preceding the day fixed by law for the election.

Terms Used In Kentucky Statutes 118.115

  • Political group: means a political group not constituting a political party or a political organization within the meaning of subsections (1) and (10) of this section. See Kentucky Statutes 118.015
  • Political organization: means a political group not constituting a political party within the meaning of subsection (1) of this section but whose candidate received two percent (2) or more of the vote of the state at the last preceding election for presidential electors. See Kentucky Statutes 118.015
  • political party: is a n affiliation or organization of electors representing a political policy and having a constituted authority for its government and regulation, and whose candidate received at least twenty percent (20) of the total vote cast at the last preceding election at which presidential electors were voted for. See Kentucky Statutes 118.015
  • Regular election: means the election in even-numbered years at which members of Congress are elected and the election in odd-numbered years at which state officers are elected. See Kentucky Statutes 446.010
  • State: when applied to a part of the United States, includes territories, outlying possessions, and the District of Columbia. See Kentucky Statutes 446.010
  • Year: means calendar year. See Kentucky Statutes 446.010

(3) If the vacancy occurs after the first Tuesday after the first Monday in June preceding the day fixed by law for the election, but not less than three (3) months before the regular election, the nomination shall be made in a manner determined by the governing authority of the political party concerned as defined in KRS § 118.015. Certificates of nomination shall be filed as required with the Secretary of State or county clerk not later than the second Tuesday in August preceding the regular election sought.
(4) Independent, political organization, or political group candidates filing to fill a vacancy for an unexpired term shall be governed by KRS § 118.375.
(5) In the preparation of ballots, candidates for full terms shall be grouped together, and candidates for unexpired terms shall be grouped together, under appropriate headings, so that the voter may easily distinguish the candidates for full terms from the candidates for unexpired terms.
(6) A judge who elected to retire as a Senior Status Special Judge in accordance with KRS § 21.580 shall not become a candidate or a nominee for any elected office during the five (5) year term prescribed in KRS § 21.580(1)(a)1., regardless of the number of days served by the judge acting as a Senior Status Special Judge.
Effective:April 7, 2022
History: Amended 2022 Ky. Acts ch. 87, sec. 18, effective April 7, 2022. — Amended 2019 Ky. Acts ch. 187, sec. 10, effective November 6, 2019. — Amended 2013 Ky. Acts ch. 66, sec. 2, effective June 25, 2013. — Amended
1990 Ky. Acts ch. 48, sec. 38, effective July 13, 1990. — Amended 1988 Ky. Acts ch. 17, sec. 9, effective July 15, 1988. — Amended 1984 Ky. Acts ch. 185, sec. 9, effective July 13, 1984. — Created 1974 Ky. Acts ch. 130, sec. 101, effective June 21, 1974.