By JIM BROOKS
Nelson County Gazette

While the ballot for the May primary races is locked in, it appears the November ballot already may have some changes coming.

Two additional Nelson County residents have filed notices with the Nelson County Clerk's office that they intend to run as independent candidates in November.

William Francis "Billy" Buckman, Hunters Lane, Bardstown, has filed his Statement of Candidacy in the race for Nelson County Jailer. Buckman is an officer with the Bardstown Police Department.

John Thomas "J.T." Fulkerson Jr. of T. Hahn Road filed his Statement of Candidacy in the race for District 4 magistrate earlier this month. Fulkerson is a courtroom bailiff with the Nelson County Sheriff's Office.

A Statement of Candidacy is the first step an independent candidate must take in order to gain access to the November ballot. There is no cost to the filer since it takes a completed petition with adequate signatures -- due by August 8th -- to become a full-fledged candidate for office and get a spot on the November ballot.

The number of petition signatures varies by office, according to information from the Kentucky Secretary of State's office.

In the case of Buckman's race for jailer, he must return his petition of nomination with at least 100 signatures in order to gain access to the November ballot.

In Fulkerson's race for District 4 magistrate, he only needs to have 20 signatures filed with his petition of nomination by the August 8th deadline.

The first person to file as an independent was David McMichael, who originally filed as a Democratic candidate for magistrate in District 3.

Questions surfaced about McMichael's candidacy when the Nelson County Clerk's office could not find proof that McMichael registered as a Democrat in December 2005 as he claimed. Incumbent District 3 Magistrate Bernard Ice challenged McMichael's candidacy in court, and McMichael withdrew. He filed his Statement of Candidacy to run as an independent candidate for District 3 magistrate.

The deadline for independent candidates to file a Statement of Candidacy was April 3.