Judge Disqualifies London Mayor Randall Weddle From November Ballot Over Residency Requirement

A Laurel Circuit Court judge has disqualified London Mayor Randall Weddle from appearing on the November general election ballot, ruling that the mayor did not meet the residency requirement for candidates in the mayoral race. The decision was issued by Laurel Circuit Judge Michael Caperton on June 25, according to Louisville Public Media.

Caperton’s ruling centers on whether Weddle satisfied the residency requirement to be a candidate for mayor. Louisville Public Media reported that the judge concluded Weddle failed to meet the requirement, and as a result ordered the mayor’s name removed from the ballot for the November election.

London is a city in Laurel County. The mayoral race is conducted under state election rules governing eligibility and candidate qualifications, including residency. The court’s order applies to the November general election ballot, meaning it directly affects voters’ choices in that specific contest.

The decision follows a legal challenge to Weddle’s candidacy based on residency eligibility. Louisville Public Media characterized the mayor as “embattled” and reported the outcome as a disqualification from the ballot, not a termination of the mayor’s current term. The ruling therefore addresses whether he may appear as a candidate in the upcoming election rather than whether he remains in office until the election results are certified.

Caperton’s order was issued June 25. With the ballot change, election officials and parties will need to adjust ballot preparations, candidate listings, and any related voter information distributed before election day. Any write-in options, if permitted under Kentucky law for a ballot-disqualified candidate, would depend on the specific court order and Kentucky election procedures, which were not detailed in the report.

The ruling also puts the qualification dispute into the public record through the court’s stated findings. In similar Kentucky candidate-eligibility disputes, the practical impact often extends beyond a single name, influencing how quickly campaigns must verify residency documentation and how local election administrators process challenges within statutory deadlines. Louisville Public Media did not describe whether additional procedural steps are pending in the same case.

If Weddle seeks review of the decision, the next step would depend on the timeline for appeals from Kentucky circuit court election rulings and whether the disqualification order is stayed pending review. Until any further court action, the disqualification stands for the November general election ballot.

The disqualification underscores that Kentucky’s residency rules for local candidates are enforceable in court and can be addressed close to election deadlines when challenges are filed and adjudicated. For voters in London, the immediate effect is a change to the lineup of candidates available on the November ballot, and for the city, it reshapes the political contest that will determine leadership after the current term ends.