KRS § 117.055 — KY Code / Title X / Chapter 117 / Section 117.055
117.055 Division of county into precincts -- Georeferenced digital precinct boundary file -- Failure of board to perform duty -- Coordination of precinct boundary changes with other boundaries
Status: in_force

117.055 Division of county into precincts -- Georeferenced digital precinct

boundary file -- Failure of board to perform duty -- Coordination of precinct

boundary changes with other boundaries.

Subject to KRS 117.0551 to 117.0555:

(1) Each county shall be divided into election precincts by the county board of

elections. Each election precinct shall be composed of contiguous and, as nearly as

practicable, compact areas having clearly definable boundaries and wholly

contained within any larger district. The county board of elections shall establish

precincts so that no boundary of a precinct crosses the boundary of:

(a) The Commonwealth;

(b) A county or urban-county;

(c) A congressional district;

(d) A state senatorial district;

(e) A state representative district;

(f) A justice of the peace or county commissioner's district established under

KRS Chapter 67; or

(g) An aldermanic ward established under KRS 83.440;

(2) The county board of elections shall have the authority to draw precinct lines so as to

enable more than one (1) precinct to vote at one (1) location. The county board of

elections shall review election precinct boundaries as often as necessary. Without

exception, they shall review the boundaries of all election precincts exceeding

seven hundred (700) votes cast in the last regular election prior to each primary

election, and the State Board of Elections may require a written report at least sixty

(60) days prior to the candidate filing deadline set forth in KRS 118.165(1) and (2)

on each election precinct exceeding seven hundred (700) votes cast in the last

regular election. Consideration to the division of said election precincts should be

based on the anticipated growth factor within the specified boundaries; however,

the county board of elections shall not be prohibited from dividing election

precincts in excess of seven hundred (700) votes cast in the last regular election or

less than seven hundred (700) votes cast in the last regular election if they elect to

do so. However, the State Board of Elections may, in its discretion, withhold from a

county the expenses of an election under KRS 117.345 for any precinct containing

more than one thousand five hundred (1,500) registered voters, excluding those

precincts utilizing optical scan voting equipment and those periods of time in which

the precinct boundaries have been frozen under KRS 117.056;

(3) No election precinct shall be created, divided, abolished, or consolidated or the

boundaries therein changed prior to any primary to comply with the provisions of

KRS 117.055 to 117.0555 and KRS 117.0557 later than the last date prescribed by

election law generally for filing notification and declaration forms with the county

clerk or Secretary of State. No election precinct shall be created, divided, abolished,

or consolidated or the boundaries therein changed prior to any regular election to

comply with the provisions of KRS 117.055 to 117.0555 and KRS 117.0557 later

than the last date prescribed by election law generally for filing certificates or

petitions of nomination with the county clerk or Secretary of State;

(4) The county board of elections shall designate the name or number and the

boundaries of the election precincts. Each precinct shall contain, as nearly as

practicable, an equal number of voters, based on the number of registered voters in

the county;

(5) A digital precinct boundary file in an ESRI ArcGIS Shapefile or file geodatabase

format, georeferenced to a Kentucky State Plane Coordinate System in accordance

with KRS 1.020, and a detailed description of the exact election precinct boundaries

shall be filed by the county board of elections with the State Board of Elections.

Any changes in boundaries thereafter made shall also be filed with the State Board

of Elections. A copy of a map created from the digital precinct boundary file

depicting all precinct boundaries within the county in relation to key geographically

identifiable visible features as described in KRS 117.0551(3) shall be included in

the election supplies of each precinct;

(6) The Commonwealth's digital precinct boundary data shall be stored and maintained

in the central statewide geographic information clearinghouse in accordance with

KRS 42.655(1);

(7) If the county board of elections fails to perform any of the duties required by KRS

117.055 to 117.0555 and KRS 117.0557:

(a) The State Board of Elections or any citizen and voter of the county may apply

to the Circuit Court of the county for a summary mandatory order requiring

the board to perform the duty. Appeals may be taken to the Court of Appeals

by either party; and

(b) The State Board of Elections shall not submit claims for payments to the

county under KRS 117.343 and 117.345 until the State Board of Elections

determines in writing that the duty has been performed; and

(8) The county board of elections shall coordinate all precinct boundary changes with

the affected school board, magisterial, and municipal boundaries.