FRANKFORT, Ky. (Feb. 22, 2017) – The application to become a Kentucky notary public
is now online at sos.ky.gov<http://sos.ky.gov/>, Secretary of State Alison Lundergan
Grimes announced Wednesday. Nearly 500 online applications have already been
submitted.
A notary public is a public servant appointed by state government to witness the
signing of documents and to administer oaths. Kentucky residents and non-residents
may apply to be notaries to perform notarial acts within the state of Kentucky, but
these documents may be sent to other states for recording. More than 80,000 people
are Kentucky notaries.
“One of the hallmarks of my administration in the Secretary of State’s office is
modernization,” Grimes said. “And we continue to push forward to streamline and
update government processes, especially when it comes to offering services online.
For too long state government has moved at the speed of paper, so it was time we
brought notary applications online.”
Grimes’ commitment to Kentucky notary modernization extends to legislation being
considered in the 2017 Kentucky General Assembly. On Grimes’ behalf, Rep. Jody
Richards (D-Bowling Green) filed House Bill 218, which would update Kentucky’s
notary laws with standardized statutes adopted by the Uniform Law Commission. Senate
Bill 66, sponsored by Sen. Julie Raque Adams (R-Louisville), would allow Grimes’
office to initiate a pilot program in certain counties to record electronic
documents with a notarial act.
“This kind of legislation is common sense in 2017. More transactions than we can
count are conducted online, including in banking, commerce, real estate, taxes, and
many more. If we don’t start now, Kentucky will soon be left behind in allowing
electronic notarization of documents. I wholeheartedly support Senate Bill 66 and
hope the General Assembly will act to make this legislation law,” Grimes said.
Nearly half the states allow for electronic notarizations.
Grimes, as part of her duties with the National Association of Secretaries of State,
co-chairs a task force studying remote notarization, examining the concept that
notarial acts requiring “personal appearance” might soon be extended to remote/video
technologies.
