The Jefferson County Clerk’s Office is asking for legal guidance after recent GIS mapping changed the voting registration for multiple residences along the boundary with neighboring counties, including Hardin and Bullitt.
Jefferson County Clerk David Yates said the Kentucky State Board of Elections used Kentucky’s Geographic Information System for a statewide review of jurisdictional boundaries and voting districts. Using GIS offers more precision and consistency, and as a result “certain residences were identified as being located within Jefferson County for election administration purposes, resulting in voter registration updates by local election officials.”
Yates said he is asking for a legal determination due to possible conflicting information from other government records.
“The questions that have been raised are about the authority and the process behind the boundary determination,” Yates said in an update on Facebook. “Our office is filing a Petition for a Declaration of Rights asking the courts to provide guidance on these important legal questions.”
Yates said the changes primarily impact 211 voters in Oldham County. The new maps place them along with 67 voters from Bullitt County and 11 from Hardin County in Jefferson County. Meanwhile, 35 voters were removed from Jefferson County. Impacted voters will receive updated information from election officials.
More information on voter residency requirements can be found at elect.ky.gov.
