Page 1 Page 2 Page 3 Page 4 Page 5 Page 6 Page 7 Page 8The Most Powerful College of All By: Frank Friday Esquire Director First Steps to e-Filing By: Frank Friday Esquire Director Some state legislatures also use this power to allow split decisions. Currently Nebraska and Maine allow the winner of each congressional district that one electoral vote, then the overall state winner gets the two state at-large votes. Kentucky and some other states used this method in the 19th Century. Electoral votes, it might be added, are cast by actual people, state electors. Each party files a slate of electors for every state. Then if the party candidate wins the state in November, the governors of each state file something called a “certificate of ascertainment” with the Archivist As of yet, we don’t have the opportunity to take electronic documents at the clerk’s offices in Kentucky, but we continue to work with the legislature to see that it happens in the near future. However, we may already be seeing e-documents showing up in our records, if they come via the courts. Kentucky’s district and circuit courts have been taking filings electronically under their own program since 2013. The Administrative Office of the Courts launched their “eFiling” in December 2013 and completed its statewide rollout in October 2015. “eFiling” is part of the Judicial Branch’s comprehensive, multiyear “eCourt” program. The goal is to update of Congress. It’s interesting to note this was done in Florida in 2000 even as the case went through the courts, making Bush v. Gore moot. Once that certificate is filed, the courts have no further say in the matter; it’s up to a joint meeting of Congress to accept or deny any challenge. Kentucky’s aging court technology to meet the demands on the court system and enable the courts to stay current with the mainstream of law and commerce. The “eCourt” program will also upgrade the court system’s technology infrastructure (hardware and software), replace its case management systems for the trial and appellate courts, and acquire a document management system that will electronically store and index court documents. To participate as an e-filer, attorneys must complete a special training program and all documents are put in a standard PDF format. Attorney’s and court staff are registered in the system and all parties so included can then receive all their documents and notices electronically. The winning electoral slates meet at each state capitol to vote, this year on December 19. Individual electors can and do vote for anyone they like, not just the party nominee whose slate they were elected on. The most recent case of the so-called “faithless elector” was in 2004, when a Minnesota elector voted for John Edwards instead of John Kerry, possibly by accident. The voting takes place by secret ballots, in less than an hour, and then the college is out. No degrees are awarded, but a lot of pictures are taken with the electors and other dignitaries, just like a commencement exercise. Non-conventional files that cannot go through the system are still sent through a manual paper process. Signatures are done on paper documents marked by the designation /s/ and then, along with any notary acknowledgments, documents are scanned into PDF format and sent electronically. The system is open to receive documents 24 hours a day and will generate an electronic receipt or notice of rejection automatically. No doubt some of these documents that came into the courts electronically and were then sent to us, such as probated wills, are already reaching our Deed Room. continued from page 1 2