On Thursday, the Republican dominated General Assembly amended House Bill 114 to include Senate Bill 34, a bill previously defeated in the House Committee on Elections.
Senate Bill 34 is a power grab by Senator Damon Thayer, admittedly motivated by political gamesmanship. This partisan measure strips integral powers from an elected constitutional office, setting in motion a dangerous precedent.
"The Republican majority upended the State Board of Elections tonight without even the basic understanding of how it functions or what the proposed legislation does," said Alison Lundergan Grimes, Chief Election Official. "That was evident when majority members didn't even know how many members currently sit on the Board or how a tie vote could not be broken under Thayer's bill."
Despite bipartisan opposition, Kentucky Republicans forced through legislation at the last minute which strips the Secretary of State of its oversight of the State Board of Elections.
"Make no mistake, this legislation creates chaos and centers our elections in the hands of one individual - the Governor" said Grimes. "If this becomes law, the security of Kentucky's elections are at risk. At a time when election security is a top concern for our nation, our Republican majority wants to remove the only member of the State Board of Elections with a National Security Clearance from having a voice in protecting Kentucky, placing the process solely in the hands of unelected bureaucrats appointed by the Governor. This should appall every Kentuckian who believes in checks and balances and oversight in our elections.”
Federal law mandates that Kentucky’s chief election official create and maintain a statewide Voter Registration System. “I will be carefully reviewing the legislation and take any legal action necessary to preserve the orderly administration of the Commonwealth’s elections that are just weeks away,” said Grimes.
This latest maneuver follows a pattern of efforts by the Republican Party to take control of elections processes from Michigan, Wisconsin and North Carolina to the President’s sham voting commission, which sought social security numbers of every registered voter and their voting history. Secretary Grimes stood in opposition to those efforts, leading the discussion nationally to protect state’s rights and maintain the decentralized administration of our nation’s elections.