COVINGTON, Ky. — It would be difficult for anyone to say with complete honesty they have a firm idea of who the person is behind every name they see on a ballot when they go to vote. Even knowing what that person does when they’re elected can be hit or miss. 

What You Need To Know

  • One of the lesser known elected positions in Kentucky is constable

  • The role of a constable depends on their jurisdiction and training

  • One Kenton County constable says the role of most constables is to serve papers, such as eviction notices

  • Constables also have the same authority as sheriffs, though not all have police training

That’s especially true for lesser known elected positions such as constable. Mary Haug and Jim Jorden are perfect examples. 

The two both say they never miss an election. So, of course, they were at their preferred polling place, the Kenton County Administration building, for the primary election on Tuesday.

“Every vote counts,” Jorden said.

“Yeah, I’m always in the minority here,” said Haug. “But I’m never gonna not vote.”

Haug and Jorden are Democrats. They didn’t see the names of the three Republican candidates for Kenton County District Two Constable on their ballots.

Those names are Jimmy McQueen, Thomas Turner and Paul Woodard, who is the incumbent.

Even if Haug and Jorden had seen them, they wouldn’t have known who any of those people were. They didn’t know, for sure, if they’d ever voted for a constable.

“I don’t know, honestly,” Jorden said.

“Yeah, probably, but I don’t remember. And I don’t really know what a constable is,” Haug said.

“I don’t either,” Jorden replied.

Keep in mind, these are people who never miss a vote.

“If we don’t know what a constable is, I’m sure that 99% of people don’t know what a constable is. You know, we’re pretty aware,” Jorden said.

Kenton County’s District Three Constable Mike Moffitt was clearly not overly worried about the election on Tuesday, as he was in Indianapolis for a car show.

Moffitt, also a Republican, was running unopposed for what will be his fourth and final four-year term as constable for his district. It’s quite a different situation than the race between McQueen, Turner and Woodard for district two.

“Yeah, those gentlemen over there are very competitive. And they spend a lot of money to get elected over there. Some of those guys will spend 20 or $30,000. But they’re more active than me. I mean, they go after evictions. A police officer has to be there. They can be there for that,” Moffitt said.

Moffitt described the role of a constable, and how it can vary depending on their jurisdiction and amount of training.

“Down south, they’re used more. Where one small country area may only have one sheriff. So they’ll have a constable come and help direct traffic. And stuff like that,” he said. “We have the same authority as the sheriff, the Kenton County Sheriff. But I have no police training. I just wanted to do something to help the community out. Some of the trouble people have that I talk to, they can’t get the sheriffs to reply.”

Moffitt said his responsibilities boil down to serving papers, such as eviction notices. That’s the case for most constables, he said.

“All I do is lawyers will call me up. And they’ll want Joe or Mary to appear in court. And I serve them papers. That’s all I do. Do I have more authority than that? Yes. But I don’t get involved in that, because I’m simply not trained for that,” he said. 

Jorden said more pre-election information for voters could be helpful in deciding how to vote. He also said he thinks the ballot should be more explanatory, and that voters should receive a printed ballot in the mail before elections.

Spectrum News 1 tried reaching out to the three district two candidates on Tuesday to ask if they’d act any differently than Moffitt in their role as constable, but did not hear from them.

According to the Kenton County Constable website, areas of focus for Woodard are drug awareness and safety education, and being an advocate for veterans and first responders.

According to the website, Woodard is “focused on helping families within the community by providing education and awareness on drug and safety related topics.”

The site says, “Paul is a veteran and is passionate about helping those who sacrifice daily to keep us safe and protected. Paul will use the role to advocate for veterans and first responders and help provide the recognition they deserve within our community.”

Constables in other parts of the state, including Louisville, have police training.