Election Policy In Kentucky
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Election policy encompasses a broad assortment of issues, including voter registration, ballot access, early voting, absentee voting and voter identification requirements, as well as the complex process of drawing district lines, known as redistricting. These issues are expressed in the laws governing elections, which can differ dramatically from state to state and even between jurisdictions within states. The complexities surrounding election policy, coupled with the high-stakes nature of partisan politics, have turned election reform into a hotly-contested policy issue.[1]
See state election laws
Voting policy[edit]
- See also: Voting in Kentucky and Election administration in Kentucky
Voting policies are enacted and enforced primarily at the state level. These policies, which include voter identification requirements, early voting provisions, online voter registration systems, and more, dictate the conditions under which American citizens cast their ballots in their individual states.
Redistricting[edit]
- See also: Redistricting in Kentucky
Redistricting is the process by which new congressional and state legislative district boundaries are drawn. Each of Kentucky's six United States Representatives and 138 state legislators are elected from political divisions called districts. United States Senators are not elected by districts, but by the states at large. District lines are redrawn every 10 years following completion of the United States census. The federal government stipulates that districts must have nearly equal populations and must not discriminate on the basis of race or ethnicity.[2][3][4][5]
Kentucky was apportioned six seats in the U.S. House of Representatives after the 2020 census, the same number it received after the 2010 census. Click here for more information about redistricting in Kentucky after the 2020 census.
State process[edit]
- See also: State-by-state redistricting procedures
In Kentucky, both congressional and state legislative district boundaries are drawn by the state legislature. District maps may be vetoed by the governor.[6]
Guidelines adopted in 1991 stipulate that congressional districts ought to be contiguous. In addition, county lines and communities of interest should be maintained if possible. These guidelines are not statutory; consequently, they may be amended by the legislature at its discretion.[6]
The Kentucky Constitution requires that state legislative districts "be contiguous ... and preserve whole counties where possible."[6]
Ballot access[edit]
- See also: Ballot access requirements for political candidates in Kentucky
In order to get on the ballot in Kentucky, a candidate for state or federal office must meet a variety of state-specific filing requirements and deadlines. These regulations, known as ballot access laws, determine whether a candidate or party will appear on an election ballot. These laws are set at the state level. A candidate must prepare to meet ballot access requirements well in advance of primaries, caucuses, and the general election.
There are three basic methods by which an individual may become a candidate for office in a state.
- An individual can seek the nomination of a state-recognized political party.
- An individual can run as an independent. Independent candidates often must petition in order to have their names printed on the general election ballot.
- An individual can run as a write-in candidate.
This article outlines the steps that prospective candidates for state-level and congressional office must take in order to run for office in Kentucky. For information about filing requirements for presidential candidates, see "Ballot access requirements for presidential candidates in Kentucky." Information about filing requirements for local-level offices is not available in this article (contact state election agencies for information about local candidate filing processes).
Election agencies[edit]
Federal Election Commission
- 1050 First Street, NE
- Washington, D.C. 20463
- Telephone: 800-424-9530
- Email: info@fec.gov
Kentucky Secretary of State, Office of Elections
- 700 Capital Ave., Suite 152
- Frankfort, Kentucky 40601
- Telephone: 502-564-3490
- Email: Contact form
See also[edit]
- Kentucky
- Voting in Kentucky
- Redistricting in Kentucky
- Ballot access requirements for political candidates in Kentucky
- Ballot access requirements for presidential candidates in Kentucky
- Campaign finance requirements in Kentucky
Footnotes[edit]
- ↑ Stateline, "Red, Blue States Find Some Common Ground on Elections Reform," May 30, 2014
- ↑ All About Redistricting, "Why does it matter?" accessed April 8, 2015
- ↑ Indy Week, "Cracked, stacked and packed: Initial redistricting maps met with skepticism and dismay," June 29, 2011
- ↑ The Atlantic, "How the Voting Rights Act Hurts Democrats and Minorities," June 17, 2013
- ↑ Redrawing the Lines, "The Role of Section 2 - Majority Minority Districts," accessed April 6, 2015
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 All About Redistricting, "Kentucky," accessed April 29, 2015
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