118.129 Spelling and form of candidate's name on ballot.

389 words·~2 min read·/ky/chapter-118/118-129

A research copy — for the controlling text, always check the official state or federal source. Not legal advice.

(1)The Secretary of State or the county clerk, as appropriate, shall certify the exact

spelling and form of the name of the candidate to be printed on all ballots in

accordance with the requirements listed in this section.

(2)A candidate's nickname which is found to be, in the discretion of the Secretary of

State or the county clerk, as appropriate, a title, rank, degree, job description, or

spurious phrase shall be placed on the ballot only if it is the candidate's bona fide

nickname, generally used by acquaintances of the candidate in the county of

residence to refer to the candidate, and if the nickname is acknowledged, by

affidavit, under oath, by five

(5)residents of the county in which the candidate

resides, to be a bona fide nickname. The candidate shall also acknowledge, by

affidavit under oath, that this is his bona fide nickname and is not being used to gain

an advantage on the ballot.

(3)A nickname shall always appear set off in quotation marks and immediately before

the last name. Periods shall follow all abbreviations or initials. Additional qualifiers

following the last name, such as "Jr" or "III" shall not be separated from the last

name by a comma and shall be followed by a period.

(4)The candidate's name shall always appear in the following form: first or given name

or initial; middle name or names or initials, if desired by the candidate; nickname if

desired by the candidate; and last or surname in full. All names shall be in

substantially the following form: John Lincoln "Jack" Doe; or J. Lincoln "Jack"

Doe; or J. L. "Jack" Doe Jr.; or any of the above combinations without the

intervening nickname.

(5)The total number of spaces, inclusive of letters, spaces, and punctuation, which may

be utilized on the ballot for a candidate's name and, if any, nickname, shall be

twenty-five (25). Notwithstanding the listing of the candidate's name on the filing

papers, spaces, periods, quotation marks, and commas necessary for proper

punctuation shall be added by the Secretary of State or the county clerk, as

appropriate. No candidate's name shall exceed twenty-five

(25)spaces. The

Secretary of State or the county clerk, as appropriate, shall determine the correct

listing for any candidate whose name exceeds twenty-five

(25)spaces to conform to

this requirement.