Breaking down the down ballot in central Kentucky

LEXINGTON, Ky. (WKYT) – Election Day is just around the corner, and while there has been a lot of discussion about statewide races such as the governor’s race, there are other, more localized races that will be on the ballot as well.

This upcoming election day, there are some races that all Kentuckians will be able to vote on: governor and lieutenant governor, secretary of state, attorney general, auditor, state treasurer, and commissioner of agriculture.

In central Kentucky, there are additional races that some of you will be able to vote on.

County surveyor will be on 16 county ballots in central Kentucky.

The county surveyor’s job includes taking inventory of the land, and they can be appointed to committees that inspect infrastructure such as bridges.

Another common addition to the ballot is school board positions and can be seen on the ballot in 12 counties.

Fayette County voters will elect a board member in District 1. That includes much of Lexington between Leestown Road and Harrodsburg Road.

The third most common addition to the ballot this November is constable, who can serve court papers such as child support documents, evictions and subpoenas.

A recent house bill, which went into effect at the beginning of this year, limited the job of the constable. The bill limited giving them the same powers as police officers or peace officers, unless they have the proper certification.

Some of these additional races will not have any names listed, and that is because there are no traditionally registered candidates.

However, some could see a blank line where a name could be written. For these write-in votes to count, Kentucky state law requires the write-in candidate to have previously registered with the Secretary of State or county clerk.

In-person, no excuse absentee voting runs from Thursday, November 2nd through Saturday, November 4th from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. each day.

Election day is November 7th, and polls will be open from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Sample ballots can be found on the Kentucky Secretary of State website.

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