UK Election Law Society, Expert to Live-Blog Election Issues

November 2, 2015

By: Whitney Harder

The University of Kentucky Election Law Society and election law expert Josh Douglas will provide live analyses on legal issues surrounding the Kentucky general election Tuesday, Nov. 3, on their blog at http://www.uky.edu/electionlaw/.

As results come in, Douglas, the Robert G. Lawson and William H. Fortune Associate Professor of Law, and the Election Law Society, a student organization at the UK College of Law, will provide easy-to-understand legal explanations and answer questions from the public and media on their blog from 5-10 p.m. Tuesday. 

The analyses will cover the Kentucky gubernatorial race as well as the secretary of state, attorney general, state auditor, state treasurer and agriculture commissioner races.

"Any number of issues could arise on Election Day that will require attention from a legal perspective," Douglas said. "In particular we'll be watching to see if any of the races are close as the votes are tallied, and the potential for recounts or post-election contests increases."

Jack Conway, Democratic gubernatorial candidate, has held a narrow lead over Republican Matt Bevin throughout the election. The latest Bluegrass Poll released Wednesday, Oct. 28, shows Conway with a 5 percentage point lead over Bevin. The poll has a margin of error of plus or minus 3.5 percentage points and 10 percent of voters polled said they have yet to decide between the candidates.

Students and Douglas will also be covering issues in the voting process, such as polls opening late or absentee ballot problems. A post about Kentucky's voter ID law and what voters need to take to the polls is already on the blog at http://www.uky.edu/electionlaw/analysis/what-bring-polls-some-quick-notes-kentuckys-voter-id-law.   

"The live blog is a great resource for the general public to understand the myriad election law issues that occur," Douglas said.

And it serves as an opportunity for UK law students to examine and write pieces on an important and quickly growing area of the law.

"For those students who have a strong interest in politics but cannot fit Professor Douglas' election law class into their schedules, the ELS (Election Law Society) and live blog provides another vehicle for students to explore this fascinating branch of the law," said Christopher Stewart, a third year law student and president of the UK Election Law Society.

Last year, the blog received traffic from 45 states and visitors from at least four foreign countries including Japan and Australia. In a five-day period, more than 3,000 visitors landed on the blog.

Visit the blog at http://www.uky.edu/electionlaw/.