Several candidates for local offices gathered inside the courtroom of the Barren Fiscal Court for a ballot drawing on Thursday, June 9, 2022, ahead of the November election.
(ANGELA BRIGGS/WCLU NEWS)
STORY BY ANGELA BRIGGS, special to WCLU News
GLASGOW — Where candidates land on the ballot is truly the luck of the draw.
Candidates across Kentucky participated in ballot drawings Thursday. The Barren County draw was held inside the meeting chambers of the Barren County Fiscal Court.
Kentucky law leaves nothing to question regarding how elections are held across the commonwealth, including the order of candidates on the ballot.
For partisan races here, the party winning the previous presidential election appears first. Though Joe Biden is a Democratic president, Republican Donald Trump won Kentucky’s electoral votes in 2020. Republicans will appear first on the General Election ballot, therefore.
Non-partisan races are decided by a ballot drawing, which is like the one held before the primary election.
“They drew in order in which they filed,” said Helena Birdwell, Barren County Clerk. “They basically just came up front and drew a number out of a basket. That’s the position that they will be placed on the ballot for November.”
Several offices across Barren County are non-partisan, which means candidates do not run with a political party assignment. Most of those offices include mayors, city councils and school boards.
Max Marion, a Glasgow City Council candidate, is a newcomer to politics.
“I would like for my children in the future to want to call Glasgow as home, just as I have for years,” he said. “For that to happen, we’ve got to grow economically. We’ve got to get some more businesses here and we don’t need to focus on just a few points. We need to broaden the spectrum a little bit.”
Click here to view the results of the ballot drawing in Barren County.
Libby Short is also a candidate for Glasgow’s Council. She said a good rapport with the community is the first step toward a successful government body.
The group in attendance Thursday appeared just that way.
“When you are constantly at somebody’s throat, you cannot get anything done that way,” she said. “Even running against each other can have a good time and a good rapport. That’s how you get things done.”
This drawing was nothing new to current Cave City Council member Steve Pedigo, who has served 12 years on the council. The town in northern Barren County has seen stunts of recent growth, and Pedigo said the key to this was the continued assistance to citizens by making live and business there easier.
“That’s usually what we try to do, and if we can help them in anyway, we try to do that,” Pedigo said. “You’ve got to meet them and act honest. They can tell if you’re pulling their leg.”
He also said honesty is to thank for Cave City’s success.
Members of the Barren County Board of Elections were there to witness the drawing. Though Sheriff Kent Keen serves on the board, he was represented by Deputy Adam Bow since he will appear on the November ballot.
Some candidates’ names are not included because they are running on a partisan basis (Republican, Democratic or any political party) or are the lone candidate for any given office. Some offices have no filings or solely one candidate.