Election Filings Could Set State Record

Three weeks into the filing period for next year's primary elections, the Kentucky Secretary of State's office has seen hundreds of registrations from candidates.The filing period to be on primary ballots began on the 4th, and officials say there’s been a flurry of paperwork. Secretary of State spokesperson Les Fugate attributes the increase in filings to three factors. First, there are more city and county elections in 2010 than there were in 2008. Second, more Kentuckians are interested in national politics. And third, many of the offices up for election are in charge of hiring."So we see a lot of people interested in jailers, and judge executives, county clerks, and those types of positions where they'll have the opportunity to have jobs for people in this difficult economy," says Fugate.Fugate says this year's registrations could surpass the previous record set in 2006. He's still waiting on many high-profile candidates to file the appropriate paperwork."For many, they're just choosing a time that is best for them to get some publicity when they file, so it's really a determination on that kind of a front," he says. "And others, since they've been raising money for so long, the actual filing of the paperwork doesn't really matter."The filing period closes on January 26th.