All Entries in the "Alison Lundergan Grimes" Category

Judge tosses new boundaries for state legislative districts

By Jack Brammer
jbrammer@herald-leader.com

PDF: Read the injunction

FRANKFORT — A judge has declared Kentucky’s newly-drawn legislative districts unconstitutional and has ordered election officials to use previous district lines in this year’s state legislative elections.

Franklin Circuit Judge Phillip Shepherd on Tuesday tossed out boundaries that lawmakers approved and Gov. Steve Beshear signed into law last month. The ruling was a victory for House Republicans and Democratic state Sen. Kathy Stein of Lexington, who challenged the constitutionality of House Bill 1.

Shepherd also extended the filing deadline for legislative candidates to 4 p.m. Friday, which gives legislative leaders time to decide whether to appeal to the Kentucky Supreme Court.

House panel approves bills to cut cost of special elections, require electronic filing

By Beth Musgrave
bmusgrave@herald-leader.com

FRANKFORT — A measure that would allow county clerks to open limited precincts in uncontested special elections passed a House committee Tuesday and is now headed to the full House for a vote.

Also on Tuesday, the House Committee on Elections, Constitutional Amendments and Intergovernmental Affairs passed a bill that would require candidates for statewide elected office to file campaign finance reports electronically.

Secretary of State Alison Lundergan Grimes told the committee Tuesday that a recent special election in Whitley and Laurel Counties for former Rep. Dewayne Bunch’s seat cost a total of $47,000. Voter turnout in the uncontested special election was less than 2 percent in Whitley County and 1 percent in Laurel County.

Regina Bunch, Dewayne Bunch’s wife, ran unopposed in the election. After reimbursement from the state, the special election cost Whitley County $33,000. It cost Laurel County $6,000, Grimes said.

Secretary of State Grimes makes three office appointments

FRANKFORT — Secretary of State Alison Lundergan Grimes announced three office appointments Monday, including naming Lynn Sowards Zellen of Lexington to be her director of communications.

Besides dealing with communications for the office, Zellen will work on legislative initiatives for the office.

New ‘out takes’ video posted of Grimes’ famous ‘granny ad’

FRANKFORT — In his concession speech last Tuesday, Republican candidate for secretary of state Bill Johnson congratulated Democrat Alison Lundergan Grimes and two important people in her life and in her campaign — “Elsie” and “Thelma”

Her grandmothers are very effective campaigners, Johnson joked after being beat by Grimes on Nov. 8.

Secretary of State-elect Alison Lundergan Grimes

Secretary of State-elect Alison Ludergan Grimes made numerous references to her grandmothers Thelma Lundergan McHugh and Elsie Crawford Case, who were seated next to her, during her victory speech Tuesday night.

McHugh and Case starred in Grimes’ hugely popular campaign commercial, and in her speech, the secretary of state elect promised to make them proud of her.

“Grandmothers, I promise as secretary of state, we will continue to be about all Kentuckians,” Grimes said in an assertive address.

Voter ID issues split candidates for Ky. secretary of state

By Bill Estep
bestep@herald-leader.com

Disagreement over who should have the right to vote and what identification people should show at the ballot box have largely defined this year’s election for Kentucky secretary of state.

Republican candidate Bill Johnson believes people should have to show photo identification before being allowed to vote, saying it would guard against fraud. Democratic candidate Alison Lundergan Grimes, however, says many people don’t have a photo ID and that requiring one would create a barrier to the ballot box for them.

The two candidates also differ sharply on registering homeless people to vote and voting rights for felons.

The secretary of state is Kentucky’s chief election officer and the official in charge of recording business incorporations. Grimes and Johnson are vying to replace Democrat Elaine Walker, who was appointed to the post by Gov. Steve Beshear in January after Republican Trey Grayson resigned the office. Grimes defeated Walker in the May Democratic primary.

Second poll shows Beshear with double-digit lead over Williams

By Beth Musgrave
bmusgrave@herald-leader.com

FRANKFORT — A second poll released this week shows Democratic Gov. Steve Beshear with a more than 20-point lead over Republican challenger David Williams.

Insight’s CN|2 poll, conducted by Braun Research, showed Beshear and running mate Jerry Abramson with 53.4 percent of the vote, compared to 25.3 percent for Williams and running mate Richie Farmer.

The independent slate of Lexington lawyer Gatewood Galbraith and marketing executive Dea Riley garnered about 7.2 percent of the vote.

Earlier this week, Public Policy Polling released numbers that showed Beshear witha 27-point lead over Williams.

Johnson files ethics complaint against secretary of state over voter registration of homeless

By Jack Brammer
jbrammer@herald-leader.com

FRANKFORT — Bill Johnson, Republican candidate for secretary of state, filed an ethics complaint Thursday against Secretary of State Elaine Walker and the State Board of Elections over the issue of registering homeless people to vote.

Johnson, a Todd County businessman and educator, claims Walker and the board are violating the Kentucky Constitution by registering voters without an address.

He contends that the elections board was wrong on June 30 when it notified county clerks that they can register voters who have no address in the precinct.

The board said applications should be approved if they have “homeless” or “place to place” listed as addresses.

Legg concedes Secretary of State primary to Johnson

By Beth Musgrave
bmusgrave@herald-leader.com

FRANKFORT — After only picking up six votes in a recanvass in the Secretary of State’s race, Hilda Legg on Thursday conceded the Republican primary to Todd County businessman and teacher Bill Johnson.

Johnson will now face Democrat Alison Lundergan Grimes, a Lexington lawyer, in the November general election.

Legg asked for a recanvass after the May 17 primary when Johnson edged out Legg by less than 1,100 votes, or about 1 percent of the vote.

A recanvass — which is a retabulation of voting machine totals — was conducted Thursday morning. The recanvass showed that Legg picked up nine votes in Martin County and two votes in Pulaski County. Johnson picked up four votes in Martin County and one vote in Pulaski County, leaving Legg with a net gain of six votes.

Election night videos: Williams, Farmer and Grimes

You can find the Herald-Leader’s complete Election Day coverage at http://www.kentucky.com/voteresults/.

And here are video clips from the acceptance speeches given by Republicans David Williams and Richie Farmer and Democrat Alison Lundergan Grimes.

David Williams

Richie Farmer

Alison Lundergan Grimes