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Kentucky Supreme Court elections, 2018
- General election: Nov. 6
- Voter registration deadline: Oct. 9
- Early voting: N/A
- Absentee voting deadline: Nov. 6
- Online registration: Yes
- Same-day registration: No
- Voter ID: Photo or non-photo ID required
- Poll times: 6:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.
| 2018 election dates | |
|---|---|
| Deadline to file candidacy | |
| January 30, 2018 | |
| Primary election | |
| May 22, 2018 | |
| General election | |
| November 6, 2018 | |
| 2018 State Judicial Elections | |
|---|---|
2019 »
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| |
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| Overview | |
| Supreme Courts Overview | |
| Appellate Courts Overview | |
| View judicial elections by state: | |
The term of one Kentucky Supreme Court justice expired in January 2019. Justice Daniel Venters was appointed to the court in 2008 by Democratic Governor Steve Beshear to succeed retired Justice Joseph Lambert. He was then elected to the seat in November 2008 and will have served one full term on the court. In 2017, Venters announced that he would retire at the end of his term and not seek re-election.
Candidates and results
District 3: Venter vacancy
General election
General election
General election for Kentucky Supreme Court 3rd District
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Debra Hembree Lambert (Nonpartisan) | 65.1 | 95,237 |
| Daniel Ballou (Nonpartisan) | 34.9 | 51,075 | ||
| Total votes: 146,312 (100.00% precincts reporting) | |||
 = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
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Primary election
■ Daniel Ballou 
■ Debra Hembree Lambert
■ David A. Tapp
Justices not on the ballot
About the Kentucky Supreme Court
- See also: Kentucky Supreme Court
The Kentucky Supreme Court is composed of seven justices who are elected in nonpartisan elections by voters. A full term on the court is eight years. Kentucky's nonpartisan judicial elections take place during its general elections. These are usually held in even-numbered years but can be held in odd-numbered years.
Political composition
This is the political composition of the Kentucky Supreme Court heading into the 2018 election. Justices in Kentucky are elected by voters; for a midterm vacancy, the governor appoints a judge, who then must stand for election by voters in a forthcoming general election.
Chief Justice John D. Minton, Jr. and Justice Lisabeth Tabor Hughes were appointed by Republican Governor Ernie Fletcher. Justices Michelle Keller and Daniel Venters were appointed by Democratic Governor Steve Beshear. Justices Bill Cunningham, Laurance VanMeter, and Samuel T. Wright III were elected without appointment.
| ■ John D. Minton, Jr. | Appointed by Ernie Fletcher (R) in 2006 | |
| ■ Lisabeth Tabor Hughes | Appointed by Ernie Fletcher (R) in 2007 | |
| ■ Michelle Keller | Appointed by Steve Beshear (D) in 2013 | |
| ■ Daniel Venters | Appointed by Steve Beshear (D) in 2008 | |
| ■ Bill Cunningham | Elected in 2006 | |
| ■ Laurance VanMeter | Elected in 2016 | |
| ■ Samuel T. Wright III | Elected in 2015 |
Selection
- See also: Judicial selection in Kentucky
Justices are elected for eight-year terms in nonpartisan elections. If a midterm vacancy occurs, the governor appoints a successor from a list of three names provided by the Kentucky Judicial Nominating Commission. If the term the appointee will fill expires at the next election, the appointment is for the remainder of the term. If the term does not expire at the next election and that election is more than three months away, the appointee must stand for election, and the election is for the remainder of the unexpired term. If the term does not expire at the next election, but the election is less than three months away, the appointee must stand for election in the election following the next. The election is for the remainder of the unexpired term, if any; if none of the term is left, the election is for a full term.[1]
Qualifications
For the position of supreme court justice, the candidate must be a citizen of the United States and a resident of both the Commonwealth and of the district from which he or she is elected for at least two years immediately prior to taking office. He or she must be licensed to practice law in the courts of the Commonwealth for at least eight years before becoming eligible to serve on the court.[2] The candidate must file with the Kentucky Secretary of State's Office, and the filing fee is $200.00.
State profile
| Demographic data for Kentucky | ||
|---|---|---|
| Kentucky | U.S. | |
| Total population: | 4,424,611 | 316,515,021 |
| Land area (sq mi): | 39,486 | 3,531,905 |
| Race and ethnicity** | ||
| White: | 87.6% | 73.6% |
| Black/African American: | 7.9% | 12.6% |
| Asian: | 1.3% | 5.1% |
| Native American: | 0.2% | 0.8% |
| Pacific Islander: | 0% | 0.2% |
| Two or more: | 2.1% | 3% |
| Hispanic/Latino: | 3.3% | 17.1% |
| Education | ||
| High school graduation rate: | 84.2% | 86.7% |
| College graduation rate: | 22.3% | 29.8% |
| Income | ||
| Median household income: | $43,740 | $53,889 |
| Persons below poverty level: | 22.7% | 11.3% |
| Source: U.S. Census Bureau, "American Community Survey" (5-year estimates 2010-2015) Click here for more information on the 2020 census and here for more on its impact on the redistricting process in Kentucky. **Note: Percentages for race and ethnicity may add up to more than 100 percent because respondents may report more than one race and the Hispanic/Latino ethnicity may be selected in conjunction with any race. Read more about race and ethnicity in the census here. | ||
Presidential voting pattern
- See also: Presidential voting trends in Kentucky
Kentucky voted Republican in all seven presidential elections between 2000 and 2024.
Pivot Counties (2016)
Ballotpedia identified 206 counties that voted for Donald Trump (R) in 2016 after voting for Barack Obama (D) in 2008 and 2012. Collectively, Trump won these Pivot Counties by more than 580,000 votes. Of these 206 counties, one is located in Kentucky, accounting for 0.5 percent of the total pivot counties.[3]
Pivot Counties (2020)
In 2020, Ballotpedia re-examined the 206 Pivot Counties to view their voting patterns following that year's presidential election. Ballotpedia defined those won by Trump won as Retained Pivot Counties and those won by Joe Biden (D) as Boomerang Pivot Counties. Nationwide, there were 181 Retained Pivot Counties and 25 Boomerang Pivot Counties. Kentucky had one Retained Pivot County, 0.55 percent of all Retained Pivot Counties.
More Kentucky coverage on Ballotpedia
- Elections in Kentucky
- United States congressional delegations from Kentucky
- Public policy in Kentucky
- Endorsers in Kentucky
- Kentucky fact checks
- More...
Pivot Counties
- See also: Pivot Counties by state
One of 120 Kentucky counties—0.83 percent—is a pivot county. Pivot counties are counties that voted for Barack Obama (D) in 2008 and 2012 and for Donald Trump (R) in 2016. Altogether, the nation had 206 pivot counties, with most being concentrated in upper midwestern and northeastern states.
| Counties won by Trump in 2016 and Obama in 2012 and 2008 | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| County | Trump margin of victory in 2016 | Obama margin of victory in 2012 | Obama margin of victory in 2008 | ||||
| Elliott County, Kentucky | 44.13% | 2.50% | 25.17% | ||||
In the 2016 presidential election, Donald Trump (R) won Kentucky with 62.5 percent of the vote. Hillary Clinton (D) received 32.7 percent. In presidential elections between 1792 and 2016, Kentucky voted Democratic 45.6 percent of the time and Republican 26.3 percent of the time. In the five presidential elections between 2000 and 2016, Kentucky voted Republican all five times.[4]
Presidential results by legislative district
The following table details results of the 2012 and 2016 presidential elections by state House districts in Kentucky. Click [show] to expand the table. The "Obama," "Romney," "Clinton," and "Trump" columns describe the percent of the vote each presidential candidate received in the district. The "2012 Margin" and "2016 Margin" columns describe the margin of victory between the two presidential candidates in those years. The "Party Control" column notes which party held that seat heading into the 2018 general election. Data on the results of the 2012 and 2016 presidential elections broken down by state legislative districts was compiled by Daily Kos.[5][6]
| In 2012, Barack Obama (D) won 18 out of 100 state House districts in Kentucky with an average margin of victory of 24.5 points. In 2016, Hillary Clinton (D) won 18 out of 100 state House districts in Kentucky with an average margin of victory of 25 points. Clinton won one district controlled by a Republican heading into the 2018 elections. |
| In 2012, Mitt Romney (R) won 82 out of 100 state House districts in Kentucky with an average margin of victory of 32.8 points. In 2016, Donald Trump (R) won 82 out of 100 state House districts in Kentucky with an average margin of victory of 42 points. Trump won 20 districts controlled by Democrats heading into the 2018 elections. |
| 2016 presidential results by state House district | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| District | Obama | Romney | 2012 Margin | Clinton | Trump | 2016 Margin | Party Control |
| 1 | 28.28% | 70.29% | R+42 | 21.07% | 75.71% | R+54.6 | R |
| 2 | 28.39% | 70.02% | R+41.6 | 19.66% | 76.54% | R+56.9 | R |
| 3 | 40.47% | 57.82% | R+17.3 | 36.33% | 58.93% | R+22.6 | D |
| 4 | 28.50% | 70.01% | R+41.5 | 19.59% | 76.79% | R+57.2 | R |
| 5 | 34.38% | 63.66% | R+29.3 | 28.15% | 66.52% | R+38.4 | R |
| 6 | 32.05% | 66.22% | R+34.2 | 22.63% | 73.37% | R+50.7 | D |
| 7 | 34.35% | 64.05% | R+29.7 | 25.60% | 69.99% | R+44.4 | R |
| 8 | 45.14% | 53.78% | R+8.6 | 40.22% | 56.32% | R+16.1 | R |
| 9 | 29.19% | 69.46% | R+40.3 | 22.92% | 73.34% | R+50.4 | R |
| 10 | 40.43% | 57.99% | R+17.6 | 29.06% | 66.06% | R+37 | D |
| 11 | 43.65% | 55.17% | R+11.5 | 34.91% | 60.53% | R+25.6 | R |
| 12 | 31.04% | 67.42% | R+36.4 | 20.94% | 75.28% | R+54.3 | R |
| 13 | 46.17% | 51.87% | R+5.7 | 39.24% | 54.05% | R+14.8 | R |
| 14 | 31.99% | 66.02% | R+34 | 22.42% | 73.01% | R+50.6 | R |
| 15 | 35.13% | 63.22% | R+28.1 | 23.89% | 72.90% | R+49 | R |
| 16 | 31.83% | 66.81% | R+35 | 24.20% | 72.59% | R+48.4 | R |
| 17 | 29.65% | 69.19% | R+39.5 | 26.55% | 68.13% | R+41.6 | R |
| 18 | 30.68% | 67.92% | R+37.2 | 21.96% | 74.00% | R+52 | R |
| 19 | 36.66% | 61.97% | R+25.3 | 28.23% | 67.66% | R+39.4 | R |
| 20 | 47.55% | 50.21% | R+2.7 | 47.28% | 45.81% | D+1.5 | D |
| 21 | 29.72% | 68.87% | R+39.2 | 19.57% | 77.59% | R+58 | R |
| 22 | 30.68% | 68.01% | R+37.3 | 22.20% | 73.97% | R+51.8 | D |
| 23 | 32.54% | 65.99% | R+33.5 | 23.11% | 72.94% | R+49.8 | R |
| 24 | 35.21% | 63.25% | R+28 | 24.18% | 72.15% | R+48 | R |
| 25 | 36.11% | 62.25% | R+26.1 | 29.69% | 64.91% | R+35.2 | R |
| 26 | 32.43% | 66.01% | R+33.6 | 25.01% | 70.56% | R+45.6 | R |
| 27 | 42.17% | 56.05% | R+13.9 | 30.64% | 64.67% | R+34 | D |
| 28 | 44.94% | 53.71% | R+8.8 | 37.86% | 57.69% | R+19.8 | D |
| 29 | 39.17% | 59.62% | R+20.5 | 38.23% | 56.76% | R+18.5 | R |
| 30 | 71.73% | 26.98% | D+44.8 | 69.58% | 25.88% | D+43.7 | D |
| 31 | 50.04% | 48.33% | D+1.7 | 50.75% | 43.48% | D+7.3 | D |
| 32 | 43.38% | 55.29% | R+11.9 | 47.38% | 46.66% | D+0.7 | R |
| 33 | 41.13% | 57.48% | R+16.3 | 43.59% | 50.25% | R+6.7 | R |
| 34 | 59.79% | 37.94% | D+21.9 | 65.14% | 28.16% | D+37 | D |
| 35 | 56.21% | 41.52% | D+14.7 | 53.85% | 39.87% | D+14 | D |
| 36 | 32.23% | 66.72% | R+34.5 | 35.92% | 58.96% | R+23 | R |
| 37 | 49.68% | 48.67% | D+1 | 44.50% | 49.97% | R+5.5 | D |
| 38 | 54.21% | 44.14% | D+10.1 | 48.62% | 46.39% | D+2.2 | D |
| 39 | 33.35% | 64.62% | R+31.3 | 30.32% | 63.52% | R+33.2 | D |
| 40 | 67.80% | 30.82% | D+37 | 64.07% | 31.32% | D+32.8 | D |
| 41 | 76.55% | 21.94% | D+54.6 | 75.28% | 19.22% | D+56.1 | D |
| 42 | 85.66% | 12.50% | D+73.2 | 84.31% | 10.77% | D+73.5 | D |
| 43 | 76.26% | 23.02% | D+53.2 | 74.36% | 21.81% | D+52.6 | D |
| 44 | 60.58% | 38.30% | D+22.3 | 55.32% | 41.13% | D+14.2 | D |
| 45 | 37.40% | 60.69% | R+23.3 | 41.04% | 51.95% | R+10.9 | R |
| 46 | 54.38% | 44.35% | D+10 | 50.32% | 44.79% | D+5.5 | D |
| 47 | 40.04% | 58.29% | R+18.3 | 25.17% | 70.32% | R+45.2 | D |
| 48 | 41.16% | 57.55% | R+16.4 | 46.46% | 48.29% | R+1.8 | R |
| 49 | 32.77% | 65.53% | R+32.8 | 23.27% | 72.25% | R+49 | D |
| 50 | 41.07% | 57.59% | R+16.5 | 30.97% | 64.66% | R+33.7 | R |
| 51 | 26.66% | 72.21% | R+45.5 | 19.84% | 76.57% | R+56.7 | R |
| 52 | 22.27% | 76.72% | R+54.4 | 15.23% | 82.44% | R+67.2 | R |
| 53 | 30.93% | 67.34% | R+36.4 | 21.74% | 73.75% | R+52 | R |
| 54 | 30.10% | 68.30% | R+38.2 | 26.05% | 69.78% | R+43.7 | R |
| 55 | 28.09% | 70.49% | R+42.4 | 23.18% | 70.94% | R+47.8 | R |
| 56 | 42.41% | 55.60% | R+13.2 | 40.91% | 52.53% | R+11.6 | D |
| 57 | 50.60% | 47.40% | D+3.2 | 45.10% | 49.31% | R+4.2 | D |
| 58 | 35.55% | 63.19% | R+27.6 | 30.51% | 64.14% | R+33.6 | R |
| 59 | 30.49% | 67.97% | R+37.5 | 30.74% | 63.05% | R+32.3 | R |
| 60 | 27.40% | 70.85% | R+43.4 | 24.75% | 69.46% | R+44.7 | R |
| 61 | 30.41% | 68.03% | R+37.6 | 21.75% | 73.63% | R+51.9 | R |
| 62 | 37.00% | 61.15% | R+24.2 | 31.04% | 63.50% | R+32.5 | R |
| 63 | 31.20% | 66.99% | R+35.8 | 31.78% | 61.61% | R+29.8 | R |
| 64 | 31.06% | 67.21% | R+36.2 | 26.56% | 67.11% | R+40.5 | R |
| 65 | 56.23% | 41.12% | D+15.1 | 50.32% | 42.57% | D+7.8 | D |
| 66 | 28.55% | 69.70% | R+41.2 | 25.31% | 68.35% | R+43 | R |
| 67 | 48.32% | 49.06% | R+0.7 | 44.07% | 48.71% | R+4.6 | D |
| 68 | 31.30% | 66.80% | R+35.5 | 29.27% | 64.48% | R+35.2 | R |
| 69 | 38.90% | 58.93% | R+20 | 34.35% | 58.94% | R+24.6 | R |
| 70 | 35.60% | 62.91% | R+27.3 | 23.57% | 72.93% | R+49.4 | D |
| 71 | 22.53% | 75.99% | R+53.5 | 18.98% | 77.49% | R+58.5 | R |
| 72 | 40.10% | 58.03% | R+17.9 | 32.18% | 63.34% | R+31.2 | D |
| 73 | 32.99% | 65.40% | R+32.4 | 28.17% | 67.15% | R+39 | R |
| 74 | 36.76% | 61.45% | R+24.7 | 26.75% | 69.75% | R+43 | R |
| 75 | 56.44% | 40.17% | D+16.3 | 59.29% | 32.42% | D+26.9 | D |
| 76 | 54.20% | 43.37% | D+10.8 | 54.52% | 39.06% | D+15.5 | D |
| 77 | 70.90% | 26.97% | D+43.9 | 67.96% | 26.00% | D+42 | D |
| 78 | 35.41% | 62.52% | R+27.1 | 25.41% | 70.22% | R+44.8 | R |
| 79 | 52.52% | 44.89% | D+7.6 | 54.48% | 38.07% | D+16.4 | D |
| 80 | 25.27% | 73.15% | R+47.9 | 18.88% | 77.48% | R+58.6 | R |
| 81 | 41.73% | 55.80% | R+14.1 | 39.31% | 54.03% | R+14.7 | R |
| 82 | 20.17% | 78.63% | R+58.5 | 14.96% | 82.26% | R+67.3 | R |
| 83 | 18.35% | 80.19% | R+61.8 | 13.46% | 83.72% | R+70.3 | R |
| 84 | 18.79% | 79.76% | R+61 | 17.84% | 79.62% | R+61.8 | R |
| 85 | 16.98% | 81.77% | R+64.8 | 13.26% | 83.41% | R+70.1 | R |
| 86 | 21.03% | 77.60% | R+56.6 | 14.55% | 82.39% | R+67.8 | R |
| 87 | 21.56% | 76.86% | R+55.3 | 15.69% | 81.91% | R+66.2 | D |
| 88 | 37.91% | 60.16% | R+22.3 | 42.13% | 50.98% | R+8.8 | R |
| 89 | 21.00% | 77.27% | R+56.3 | 17.30% | 78.99% | R+61.7 | R |
| 90 | 14.04% | 84.43% | R+70.4 | 11.55% | 85.97% | R+74.4 | R |
| 91 | 26.26% | 71.89% | R+45.6 | 21.15% | 75.56% | R+54.4 | R |
| 92 | 26.17% | 71.86% | R+45.7 | 20.45% | 76.99% | R+56.5 | R |
| 93 | 22.68% | 75.61% | R+52.9 | 15.01% | 82.81% | R+67.8 | D |
| 94 | 20.88% | 76.88% | R+56 | 17.76% | 78.99% | R+61.2 | D |
| 95 | 30.76% | 66.72% | R+36 | 23.50% | 73.36% | R+49.9 | R |
| 96 | 33.82% | 63.97% | R+30.1 | 20.35% | 76.02% | R+55.7 | R |
| 97 | 25.32% | 72.56% | R+47.2 | 17.72% | 79.37% | R+61.6 | R |
| 98 | 39.52% | 58.63% | R+19.1 | 25.37% | 71.06% | R+45.7 | R |
| 99 | 40.29% | 57.31% | R+17 | 28.36% | 67.88% | R+39.5 | D |
| 100 | 41.11% | 56.89% | R+15.8 | 29.95% | 65.87% | R+35.9 | D |
| Total | 37.81% | 60.51% | R+22.7 | 32.69% | 62.54% | R+29.8 | - |
| Source: Daily Kos | |||||||
Recent news
The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms 'Kentucky court elections' OR 'Kentucky Supreme Court' OR 'Kentucky judicial election 2018'. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.
See also
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ National Center for State Courts, "Methods of Judicial Selection: Kentucky," accessed March 7, 2017
- ↑ Kentucky Secretary of State, "Candidate qualifications," accessed June 2, 2014
- ↑ The raw data for this study was provided by Dave Leip of Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections.
- ↑ 270towin.com, "Kentucky," accessed June 1, 2017
- ↑ Daily Kos, "Daily Kos Elections' statewide election results by congressional and legislative districts," July 9, 2013
- ↑ Daily Kos, "Daily Kos Elections' 2016 presidential results for congressional and legislative districts," February 6, 2017
Federal courts:
Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals • U.S. District Court: Eastern District of Kentucky, Western District of Kentucky • U.S. Bankruptcy Court: Eastern District of Kentucky, Western District of Kentucky
State courts:
Kentucky Supreme Court • Kentucky Court of Appeals • Kentucky Circuit Courts • Kentucky District Courts • Kentucky Family Court
State resources:
Courts in Kentucky • Kentucky judicial elections • Judicial selection in Kentucky
