Election rules to be aware of before voting

HAZARD, Ky. (WYMT) - Voting is one of the core parts of American democracy, and authorities are working to protect that.

There are rules that campaigns, officials and voters must follow in Kentucky.

House Bill 564 is a law that protects authorities and poll workers from harassment. The bill, which had bipartisan support, made it a Class D Felony to interfere.

Another rule is no politicking within 100 feet of a polling location.

“There’s a barrier for good reason. We don’t want people being harassed when they go out to vote. So, you can put your yard signs out and so forth, but within 100 feet of that voting location, there’s no politicking,” said Secretary of State Michael Adams.

If there are suspicions of fraud or misconduct, Adams said to report it immediately.

“If there is a dispute, if there is alleged fraud, we have a law in Kentucky called the ‘Election Contest Law,’ and if there’s evidence of fraud, corruption or even an honest mistake or administrative error that changed the outcome of an election,” said Michael Adams.

The report would then be reviewed by Kentucky State Police, Secretary of State Michael Adams’ office and Kentucky Board of Elections.

If the complaint has legitimacy, and it impacted the outcome of the election, the losing candidate has standing to sue.

The Election Fraud Hotline is 1-800-328-VOTE.

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