Jan. 25 new deadline to file for office

If you were thinking about running for elected office in Whitley County this year, but thought you had missed out on your chance due to the filing deadline expiring, then you are in luck.

Gov. Andy Beshear signed HB172 into law Thursday, which extended the candidate filing deadline from 4 p.m. on Friday, Jan. 7, to 4 p.m. on Wednesday, Jan. 25.

“I do anticipate a few more (candidate filings) than probably what would have been if it had stayed Jan. 7. I do anticipate getting a few more filings,” said Whitley County Clerk Carolyn Willis.

Willis said the filing extension is due to redistricting, which is being done in Frankfort.

Every 10 years redistricting is done based upon the new U.S. Census figures.

The Kentucky General Assembly recently approved redrawn boundaries for state legislative districts and congressional districts. Each district is supposed to have roughly the same number of people, and due to population shifts, legislators redraw those boundaries every 10 years.

The redrawn legislative districts in some cases put already filed candidates for a legislative seat out of the legislative district where they had initially filed. In the case of one Fayette County district, which was redrawn, three of the four previously filed candidates could no longer run for that seat because they no longer lived in the district based upon the redrawn legislative lines.

Willis said the filing deadline extension applies to all races, including local ones and not just legislative and congressional races.

“County officials had asked the governor to exempt the county races out of it, but when the house bill got signed Thursday, they didn’t do any exemptions,” Willis added.