2026 Kentucky General Election

Jimmy CORNELISON

Buket Urgen

A former deputy coroner, Cornelison has faced no competition and received high vote totals in six election cycles since beating his boss in 1998.

Madison County, KY a bellwether for 2023 governor’s election | Lexington Herald Leader

Jimmy Cornelison previously worked as a deputy coroner.

Madison County coroner identifies three victims from flood

Jimmy has faced no competition and received high vote totals in six election cycles since 1998.

Opposes treating the Madison County coroner position as bi-vocational, saying homicide calls make that arrangement infeasible.

"There is talk of the coroner job being 'bi-vocational', meaning, you can't take the job unless you already have another job, because you have to eat. But what happens when you're on the other 'bi-', and a homicide call comes in? In a county the size of Madison, that's not feasible," Cornelison told the class at DOCJT.

Dead Last in Pay: Coroners Tell Frankfort It’s a Grave Injustice

Cornelison said there have been attempts to increase coroner pay since, but none have gotten very far. "As my last hurrah as a coroner, I want to really strive to get pay up," he said.

Public Safety

As of October 6, 2026, Jimmy CORNELISON’s website did not contain information on this issue.

Public Health

- The coroner investigates certain types of deaths and attempts to determine their cause. To determine the cause of death, the coroner can order an autopsy, seize evidence, and interrogate people.
- The coroner can present evidence to a coroner’s jury. If that jury returns a verdict of manslaughter, murder, or other criminal act, then the coroner must make an arrest or notify law enforcement.
- The coroner has discretion about investigating deaths from natural causes.
- The minimum possible salary is determined based on county population and a coroner’s continuing education. The minimum monthly pay ranges from $200 to $1,300. The current maximum annual salary allowed is about $93,000.
- A coroner must possess a current certificate of continuing education in order to perform a postmortem examination but otherwise has no educational requirements for the job.

The chief medical examiner for the county.