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Thinking of running for office? Here are the steps, procedures for any office; apply by January 30


Kenton County Clerk Gabrielle Summe offers the following information for those who are interested in seeking office. These procedures apply to any county.

2018 CANDIDATE INFORMATION SHEET

1. SEEKING POLITICAL OFFICE:

Go to this website.

This link has candidate requirements, candidate declaration paperwork and Kentucky Registry of Election Finance Forms

a. Please make sure that you have all the proper forms for the office you are seeking.

DEADLINE TO SUBMIT IS JANUARY 30, 2018 AT 4 P.M.

b. Please return your completed petition prior to the deadline in case there are any mistakes that need to be corrected.

c. The County Clerk’s office can only review the “face” of the document and cannot advise on if the form is filled out properly.

2. KENTUCKY REGISTRY OF ELECTION FINANCE FORMS.

The laws governing election finance have changed, so please review the new forms and make sure there is good contact information.

3. YOUR NAME CAN ONLY BE 25 CHARACTERS ON THE BALLOT.

Please read your paperwork carefully and review KRS 118.129.

KRS 118.129 Spelling and form of candidate’s name on ballot.

(1) The Secretary of State or the county clerk, as appropriate, shall certify theexact spelling and form of the name of the candidate to be printed on all ballots in accordance with the requirements listed in this section.

(2) A candidate’s nickname which is found to be, in the discretion of the Secretary of State or the county clerk, as appropriate, a title, rank, degree, job description, or spurious phrase shall be placed on the ballot only if it is the candidate’s bona fide nickname, generally used by acquaintances of the candidate in the county of residence to refer to the candidate, and if the nickname is acknowledged, by affidavit, under oath, by five (5) residents of the county in which the candidate resides, to be a bona fide nickname. The candidate shall also acknowledge, by affidavit under oath, that this is his bona fide nickname and is not being used to gain an advantage on the ballot.

BASICALLY THIS MEANS NO FORMAL TITLES (IE “Dr.” before a name or even “JD” after a name)

(3) A nickname shall always appear set off in quotation marks and immediately before the last name. Periods shall follow all abbreviations or initials. Additional qualifiers following the last name, such as “Jr” or “III” shall not be separated from the last name by a comma and shall be followed by a period.

BASICALLY YOU USE JUST YOUR NICKNAME ON THE BALLOT, YOU DO NOT HAVE TO HAVE BOTH YOUR FORMAL AND NICKNAME.

(4) The candidate’s name shall always appear in the following form: first or given name or initial; middle name or names or initials, if desired by the candidate; nickname if desired by the candidate; and last or surname in full. All names shall be in substantially the following form: John Lincoln “Jack” Doe; or J. Lincoln “Jack” Doe; or J. L. “Jack” Doe Jr.; or any of the above combinations without the intervening nickname.

(5) The total number of spaces, inclusive of letters, spaces, and punctuation, which may be utilized on the ballot for a candidate’s name and, if any, nickname, shall be twenty-five (25). Notwithstanding the listing of the candidate’s name on the filing papers, spaces, periods, quotation marks, and commas necessary for proper punctuation shall be added by the Secretary of State or the county clerk, as appropriate. No candidate’s name shall exceed twenty-five (25) spaces. The Secretary of State or the county clerk, as appropriate, shall determine the correct listing for any candidate whose name exceeds twenty-five (25) spaces to conform to this requirement.

SIGN REGULATIONS

All sign regulations are governed by the Cities and the County. To get a copy of those regulations, you must contact each city or Planning and Development Services of Northern Kentucky.


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