Glossary of Election Terms
This website is provided for general information purposes only. The information contained in the website is intended to help you better understand the voting process and your voting rights. The content provided should in no way be considered legal advice. The Secretary of State’s Office is not liable for any direct or indirect damages suffered as the result of an individual’s reliance on the content of vote.ky.gov as legal advice. Please visit the links to see how these terms are defined in Kentucky law.
Ballot - a device used to record choices made by voters. Each voter uses one ballot, and ballots are not shared. See KRS 117.375(6).
Electioneering - the displaying of signs, the distribution of campaign literature, cards, or handbills, the soliciting of signatures to
any petition, or the solicitation of votes for or against any bona fide candidate or ballot question in a manner which expressly advocates the election or defeat of the candidate or expressly advocates the passage or defeat of the ballot question, but shall not include exit polling or other exceptions established by the State Board of Elections through administrative regulations. See KRS 117.235(3).
Help America Vote Act (HAVA) - requires each state to develop a comprehensive state plan for implementing mandatory changes in the administration of elections. Click here for more information from The Office of the Secretary of State.
Kentucky Registry of Election Finance - an independent 7-Member Board appointed to serve as the regulatory body for the administration, regulation, and enforcement of Kentucky's campaign finance laws. The agency receives, compiles, and maintains Financial Disclosure Reports of elected officials and candidates for specified offices.
Local Option Election - an election held for the purpose of taking the sense of the people as to the application or discontinuance of alcoholic beverage sales. See KRS 242.
Medical Emergency Ballot - A ballot issued to a voter if a medical emergency has occurred within 14 days or less of an election. See KRS 117.077.
Poll Hours - the time on election day during which voters may cast their ballots. Poll hours are 6am to 6pm (local time). You may cast your ballot if you are in line at 6pm. See KRS 118.035(1).
Precinct Roster - a roster printed by the State Board of Elections providing a signature line, name, party affiliation and address of all qualified registered voters within the state by county and precinct. See KRS 117.025(3)(b).
Primary Election - an election in which voters select candidates for a subsequent election (also called a nominating primary). In other words, primary elections are generally when each political party decides its nominee for the upcoming general election. In Kentucky, there can also be non-partisan races on the ballot during the primary election. See KRS 118.105 - .300.
State Board of Elections - an independent agency that administers the Commonwealth's election laws, promulgates administrative regulations necessary to properly carry out its duties, supervises the registration and purgation of voters, appoints the political party representatives to the 120 county boards of elections, and certifies the official election results.
Supplemental Roster - a roster prescribed by the State Board of Elections that permits a voter to sign when the voter’s name is not listed on the roster printed by the State Board of Elections.
Voter Assistance - any voter who because of physical disability, blindness or an inability to read English may request the help of another person in casting their vote provided that the person helping is not their employer, agent, a union officer or agent of that voter’s union. A voter assistance form provided by precinct election officers must be signed by the voter, unless the voter has been approved for permanent assistance, the person(s) helping the voter and the precinct election clerk. See KRS 117.255.
Write-In Vote - A vote on a ballot on which the voter writes, types, or uses an approved accessibility device to record the name of an eligible write-in candidate in the space reserved on the ballot for write-in votes and, on an optical scan ballot, properly marks the oval or connects the arrow according to the directions provided to the voter. See 31 KAR 6:030.