The State Board of Elections has certified Kentucky’s election results. The process was drama-free compared to other states, where Republicans continue to question results that show Joe Biden winning the presidential election over incumbent Donald Trump.
Like the rest of the country, Kentucky shifted heavily to mail-in and early voting to try to ease crowds on Election Day during the coronavirus pandemic.
Republican Secretary of State Michael Adams said that voters and officials were able to handle the election despite the new processes.
“There has been no election outcome that has changed from what’s been previously reported. I just want everyone to have full assurance that these numbers are correct and we should go ahead and certify and formally notify the winners,” Adams said.
Ben Chandler, a Democrat and chair of the board, said it was an election everyone can be proud of.
“I’m sure there were a couple of little hiccups here and there, but all of them were so minor that they escaped notice. It was just an incredible achievement by so many people in this state, and I for one couldn’t be prouder,” Chandler said.
Meanwhile, several of Kentucky’s top Republican elected officials have either cast doubt on elections in other states, or supported President Trump’s unfounded challenges to those elections.
U.S. Sen. Rand Paul recently told WDRB that he was still concerned about election fraud in key states, despite not having any evidence of problems.
Kentucky’s 1st District Congressman James Comer has called for a congressional investigation into the election amid what he called “troubling reports of irregularities and improprieties.”
And Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has remained silent about unfounded claims of election fraud, simply saying that Trump has a right to challenge the results in court.
Adams and Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear allowed all Kentuckians to vote by mail or during a three-week window before Election Day if they wanted to.
Because there were fewer polling places available amid the coronavirus pandemic, every county used “vote centers” where people could cast ballots no matter where their home precinct was.
Adams said he is drafting a bill for the next legislative session that would expand early voting, vote centers and the “cure” process where mail-in voters could fix mistakes on their ballot.
Adams said he’s hopeful the Republican-led legislature would pass the proposal, but that lawmakers will have a lot on their plate.
“They’ve given me the green light to take a stab at it. It may just be something that we just have to come back in 2022 and finish the drill, but I’m going to try to get something passed in 2021 if we possibly can,” Adams said.
The General Assembly will have to pass a new one-year state budget during the upcoming session, which begins on January 5.
Republican leaders of the legislature have also said they want to alter Gov. Beshear’s emergency powers because they are dissatisfied with how he has handled the coronavirus pandemic.
