June 14, 2018
Voter Rolls up to date, nearly half million taken off rolls since 2011, message says
The State Board of Elections has reached an agreement with the U.S. Department of Justice and conservative legal group Judicial Watch in regards to Kentucky’s maintenance of voter rolls. Judicial Watch had alleged Kentucky’s rolls were out of date.
The following statement is attributed to Bradford Queen, spokesman for the State Board of Elections:
“…On the heels of the Supreme Court’s decision today greenlighting Ohio’s “use it or lose it” strategy for the removal of voters, Kentuckians can rest assured Secretary Grimes and the State Board of Elections will not waver in their dedication to protecting Kentuckians’ fundamental right to vote.
Under the Grimes administration, unlike others, voters have never been unilaterally kicked off the rolls, especially for simply not voting, and that will not change. Since 2011, Kentucky has properly removed nearly half a million voters.
The DOJ and Judicial Watch both now rightly recognize maintenance of Kentucky’s rolls requires proper funding. The General Assembly should be on notice that it cannot continue to underfund Kentucky elections.
This agreement makes it abundantly clear – and the DOJ and Judicial Watch both agree – Kentucky has and will continue to be diligent in ensuring its voter rolls are accurate while protecting voters’ rights.”
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For background:
In 2006, the State Board of Elections and Kentucky Secretary of State Trey Grayson faced legal action for unilaterally removing voters from the rolls. The Franklin Circuit Court ordered the purge reversed. Judge Phillip Shepherd ruled that the Kentucky Secretary of State and the State Board of Elections illegally removed more than 8,100 Kentucky voters from the rolls. The Court found that Kentucky may not purge voters based only on inference – not proof – that a vote has moved out of Kentucky.
