(Frankfort, KY)  The state constitutional officer races will not be the only races that many Kentuckians see on the ballot this fall.  Special elections for judicial positions, such as those that were created by House Bill 382, as enacted by the 2006 General Assembly, will also appear on the 2007 ballots.  Secretary of State Trey Grayson announced that as of today there will be six additional circuit judge positions appearing on the ballot due to judicial vacancies, and there is a short window for candidates to get their names on the ballot.

 

“With so many other high profile races on the ballot this fall, it might be easy to overlook special elections to fill judicial vacancies,” noted Secretary Grayson.  “I would encourage all interested and eligible citizens to contact our office as soon as possible for a candidate filing packet if they are interested in filing for one of these races.”

 

The effective date of the vacancies requires candidates to file for the office with the Secretary of State no later than August 14, 2007, 4:00 p.m., EDT, for placement on the 2007 general election ballot.

 

The Office of the Secretary of State has received notification from Chief Justice Joseph Lambert of vacancies in office in the following judicial circuits:

 

     Counties of:             Clay                 Circuit Judge

                                    Jackson            41^st Judicial Circuit

                                    Leslie               1^st Division

 

     County of:               Daviess            Circuit Judge

                                                            6^th Judicial Circuit

                                                            1^st Division

 

     County of:               Hardin              Circuit Judge

                                                            9^th Judicial Circuit

                                                            2^nd Division

 

     County of:               Henderson        Circuit Judge

                                                            51^st Judicial Circuit

                                                            1^st Division

 

     County of:               Jefferson           Circuit Judge

                                                            30^th Judicial Circuit

                                                            7^th Division

 

     County of:               Kenton             Circuit Judge

                                                            16^th Judicial Circuit

                                                            1^st Division

 

Some of the qualifications for a circuit judge include: U.S. citizenship, a resident of both the Commonwealth and of the district from which he is elected for 2 years next preceding his taking office, licensed to practice law in the courts of the Commonwealth, and a licensed attorney for at least 8 years.  Candidates must file with the Office of the Secretary of State and must provide a $200 filing fee when submitting their judicial nominating petition.  Judges elected to these judgeships will serve the remainder of the term with next elections to be held for the circuit judgeships in 2014.

Candidate filing packets can be obtained by calling the Election Division in the Office of Secretary of State at (502) 564-3490.  Also available is a candidate filing guide, “Declaring Your Candidacy.”  This publication focuses primarily on candidate filing procedures, sample candidate filing forms for attaining ballot access, qualifications for each elective office, and other important and pertinent election information that will directly or indirectly affect candidacy.  The guide is available online at www.sos.ky.gov/elections.

“Our office stands ready to help any potential candidate with questions he or she may have, and we hope to see spirited interest in these positions,” remarked Secretary Grayson.

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