Government

Bevin also issued pardons to 15 other people, including three women who were victims of domestic violence and who were convicted in the deaths of their abusers.

With less than a year until the deadline, a state official said setting up regional centers for citizens to obtain the ID cards is the fastest option.

Tilley, a Democrat, was instrumental in getting syringe-exchange programs in a big anti-heroin bill when he was chair of the state House Judiciary Committee. Late in the year, Republican Gov. Matt Bevin named him justice secretary. He has often been mentioned as a possible holdover with Democratic Gov.-elect Andy Beshear.

The governor had made unsubstantiated claims that there were “irregularities” in the election, but never provided any evidence to back them up.

The unofficial results of last week’s election showed Beshear defeating Bevin by 5,189 votes, but Bevin has not conceded the race and has not backed up claims that thousands of absentee ballots were improperly counted.

The governor has made unsubstantiated claims that there were deeper problems with the election, laying the groundwork for an election contest. That would mean the race would be decided by the Republican-led legislature.

Beshear tapped his top deputy in the attorney general’s office, J. Michael Brown, to head up his transition team as they begin the process of taking over Kentucky’s executive branch.