KRS § 117.066 Single voting location for more than one precinct -- Petition to allow consolidation of precincts -- Consideration of petition by Secretary of State and State Board of Elections.

117.066 Single voting location for more than one precinct -- Petition to allow consolidation of precincts -- Consideration of petition by Secretary of State and State Board of Elections. (1) The county board of elections may, pursuant to KRS 117.055 and subsection (3) of this section, designate a single voting location for more than one (1) precinct if the voting location is equipped with voting equipment capable of providing or accepting separate ballots without endangering the integrity of the ballots or without violating any other election law. (2) If a single voting location for more than one (1) precinct is approved under subsection (3) of this section, the primary or election shall be conducted as follows: (a) One (1) voting equipment may be used for more than one (1) precinct if ballots are tabulated for each separate precinct, and if separate ballots may be placed upon any voting equipment to be used without endangering the integrity of the ballots or without violating any other election law. Otherwise, separate voting equipment shall be used for each precinct. In the instance of a precinct which has a small number of voters such that the use of separate voting equipment would be cost-prohibitive, the county clerk may make application to the State Board of Elections to use supplemental paper ballots under KRS 118.215 to conduct the voting for the small precinct on any primary or election day. If the use of supplemental paper ballots is approved by the State Board of Elections, at the close of voting on any primary or election day, the locked supplemental paper ballot box shall be transported to the county board of elections along with the federal provisional ballot receptacle, and ballots shall be counted by the county board of elections as provided by KRS 117.275(9) to (15); (b) Separate precinct voter rosters shall be maintained for each precinct, and steps shall be taken to ensure that voters cast their ballot in their duly authorized precinct; and (c) A separate set of election forms and reports required by this chapter and the State Board of Elections shall be maintained for each precinct. (3) The county board of elections may petition the State Board of Elections to allow the consolidation of precincts and the consolidation of precinct election officers at any voting location where voters of more than one (1) precinct vote. The petition shall be submitted at least one hundred twenty (120) days before a primary election on a form prescribed by the State Board of Elections in administrative regulations promulgated under KRS Chapter 13A and shall include: (a) A list of all precincts designated to vote at the voting location; (b) The address and type of facility of the voting location; (c) The number and type of voting systems or voting equipment to be used at the voting location; (d) The number of registered voters in each precinct designated to vote at the voting location; (e) An explanation of the reasons why the consolidation is desirable; (f) The plan for additional precinct officers at the voting location, the manner in which they will be assigned, and whether the voting location will be fully staffed with election officials; (g) The plan for how the county clerk will publicize the location for where the voting shall occur, in addition to how each location shall be noted conspicuously to residents of the county as a "Vote Center"; (h) The plan for how the voting location will serve as a focal point to meet the needs of a diverse community; and (i) The number of parking spaces available at the location and a determination as to whether the location has sufficient parking spaces. (4) Beginning on January 1, 2025, if the petition submitted under subsection (3) of this section is approved by the State Board of Elections, it shall apply for the entire year and the precinct election officers designated to serve as election officers for more than one (1) precinct shall meet the eligibility requirements of KRS 117.045. (5) At least one hundred twenty (120) days before a primary or regular election, or fifty-six (56) days before a special election, a county board of elections may petition the State Board of Elections to allow an amendment the county board deems necessary to the petition previously submitted and approved under subsection (3) of this section. (6) The Secretary of State shall retain veto authority over any petition that is approved by the State Board of Elections. The State Board of Elections, upon reconsideration of the petition, shall have the power to override a veto of the Secretary of State by a three-fourths (3/4) affirmative vote of the membership of the board. Effective: June 27, 2025 History: Amended 2025 Ky. Acts ch. 125, sec. 3, effective June 27, 2025. -- Amended 2024 Ky. Acts ch. 224, sec. 4, effective April 27, 2024. -- Amended 2023 Ky. Acts ch. 74, sec. 2, effective June 29, 2023. -- Amended 2022 Ky. Acts ch. 87, sec. 5, effective April 7, 2022. -- Amended 2021 Ky. Acts ch. 197, sec. 10, effective June 29, 2021. -- Amended 2020 Ky. Acts ch. 89, sec. 4, effective July 15, 2020. -- Amended 2008 Ky. Acts ch. 129, sec. 13, effective July 15, 2008. -- Amended 2002 Ky. Acts ch. 129, sec. 3, effective April 2, 2002. -- Created 1992 Ky. Acts ch. 430, sec. 10, effective April 13, 1992. Legislative Research Commission Note (7/15/2010). A reference to "KRS 117.275(7)" in subsection (2)(a) of this statute has been changed in codification to "KRS 117.275(10) to (13)." 2010 Ky. Acts ch. 176, sec. 8, renumbered and subdivided the former subsection (7) of KRS 117.275 as subsections (10), (11), (12), and (13), but failed to include a conforming amendment to the reference in subsection (2)(a) of this statute. This manifest clerical or typographical error has been corrected by the Reviser of Statutes under the authority of KRS 7.136(1).