http://bluegrasspolitics.bloginky.com Covering Kentucky politics and government Tue, 22 May 2012 21:44:15 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 http://bluegrasspolitics.bloginky.com/2012/04/19/secretary-of-state-grimes-sets-up-mobile-field-office-in-tornado-hit-counties/ http://bluegrasspolitics.bloginky.com/2012/04/19/secretary-of-state-grimes-sets-up-mobile-field-office-in-tornado-hit-counties/#comments Thu, 19 Apr 2012 16:05:34 +0000 Jack Brammer http://bluegrasspolitics.bloginky.com/?p=21604 FRANKFORT – Secretary of State Alison Lundergan Grimes and some of her staff members will perform their job duties in a mobile field office next week in tornado-devastated Morgan and Magoffin counties. The mobile field office in a donated recreational vehicle will provide on-site business services and election information, Grimes said during a news conference Thursday in back of the state Capitol. Grimes’ director of communications, Lynn Sowards Zellen, said the field office will not be any additional cost to taxpayers. She said several businesses across the state have provided supplies to operate it.]]> http://bluegrasspolitics.bloginky.com/2012/04/19/secretary-of-state-grimes-sets-up-mobile-field-office-in-tornado-hit-counties/feed/ 0 http://bluegrasspolitics.bloginky.com/2012/04/13/beshear-plans-to-call-a-special-legislative-session/ http://bluegrasspolitics.bloginky.com/2012/04/13/beshear-plans-to-call-a-special-legislative-session/#comments Fri, 13 Apr 2012 06:49:51 +0000 Jack Brammer http://bluegrasspolitics.bloginky.com/?p=21502 David Williams was responsible for the Senate’s failure to approve a road plan budget bill on the final day of the 60-day regular session. “Without the transportation budget bill, you can’t fund any of the projects in the transportation plan that has been passed,” said the Democratic governor who won re-election last November in a contentious campaign against Williams, R-Burkesville. Beshear also charged that Williams was responsible for the Senate’s inaction Thursday on a bill that would more closely regulate pain management clinics and put the state’s electronic prescription reporting system in the attorney general’s office instead of in the Cabinet for Health and Family Services. “We need that bill. We need the transportation budget bill. So I’ll be issuing a call for a special session of the General Assembly,” Beshear said. “They should have and could have been passed by the Senate today.”]]> http://bluegrasspolitics.bloginky.com/2012/04/13/beshear-plans-to-call-a-special-legislative-session/feed/ 0 http://bluegrasspolitics.bloginky.com/2012/02/07/judge-rules-in-favor-of-house-gop-stein-in-legislative-redistricting-suit/ http://bluegrasspolitics.bloginky.com/2012/02/07/judge-rules-in-favor-of-house-gop-stein-in-legislative-redistricting-suit/#comments Tue, 07 Feb 2012 20:43:15 +0000 Jack Brammer http://bluegrasspolitics.bloginky.com/?p=20415 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.]]> http://bluegrasspolitics.bloginky.com/2012/02/07/judge-rules-in-favor-of-house-gop-stein-in-legislative-redistricting-suit/feed/ 0 http://bluegrasspolitics.bloginky.com/2012/02/07/bills-to-cut-costs-in-special-election-require-electronic-filing-heads-to-house-floor/ http://bluegrasspolitics.bloginky.com/2012/02/07/bills-to-cut-costs-in-special-election-require-electronic-filing-heads-to-house-floor/#comments Tue, 07 Feb 2012 15:22:59 +0000 Beth Musgrave http://bluegrasspolitics.bloginky.com/?p=20396 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.]]> http://bluegrasspolitics.bloginky.com/2012/02/07/bills-to-cut-costs-in-special-election-require-electronic-filing-heads-to-house-floor/feed/ 0 http://bluegrasspolitics.bloginky.com/2012/01/09/secretary-of-state-grimes-makes-three-office-appointments/ http://bluegrasspolitics.bloginky.com/2012/01/09/secretary-of-state-grimes-makes-three-office-appointments/#comments Mon, 09 Jan 2012 16:23:17 +0000 Jack Brammer http://bluegrasspolitics.bloginky.com/?p=20055 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. ]]> http://bluegrasspolitics.bloginky.com/2012/01/09/secretary-of-state-grimes-makes-three-office-appointments/feed/ 0 http://bluegrasspolitics.bloginky.com/2011/11/14/new-out-takes-video-posted-of-grimes-famous-granny-ad/ http://bluegrasspolitics.bloginky.com/2011/11/14/new-out-takes-video-posted-of-grimes-famous-granny-ad/#comments Mon, 14 Nov 2011 19:44:08 +0000 Beth Musgrave http://bluegrasspolitics.bloginky.com/?p=19720 http://bluegrasspolitics.bloginky.com/2011/11/14/new-out-takes-video-posted-of-grimes-famous-granny-ad/feed/ 0 http://bluegrasspolitics.bloginky.com/2011/11/08/secretary-of-state-elect-alison-lundergan-grimes/ http://bluegrasspolitics.bloginky.com/2011/11/08/secretary-of-state-elect-alison-lundergan-grimes/#comments Wed, 09 Nov 2011 03:30:08 +0000 Rich Copley http://bluegrasspolitics.bloginky.com/?p=19688 http://bluegrasspolitics.bloginky.com/2011/11/08/secretary-of-state-elect-alison-lundergan-grimes/feed/ 0 http://bluegrasspolitics.bloginky.com/2011/10/26/voter-id-issues-split-candidates-for-ky-secretary-of-state/ http://bluegrasspolitics.bloginky.com/2011/10/26/voter-id-issues-split-candidates-for-ky-secretary-of-state/#comments Wed, 26 Oct 2011 20:21:15 +0000 Accountability Editor http://bluegrasspolitics.bloginky.com/?p=19531 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.]]> http://bluegrasspolitics.bloginky.com/2011/10/26/voter-id-issues-split-candidates-for-ky-secretary-of-state/feed/ 0 http://bluegrasspolitics.bloginky.com/2011/09/02/second-poll-shows-beshear-with-double-digit-lead-over-williams/ http://bluegrasspolitics.bloginky.com/2011/09/02/second-poll-shows-beshear-with-double-digit-lead-over-williams/#comments Fri, 02 Sep 2011 15:06:00 +0000 Beth Musgrave http://bluegrasspolitics.bloginky.com/?p=18908 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.]]> http://bluegrasspolitics.bloginky.com/2011/09/02/second-poll-shows-beshear-with-double-digit-lead-over-williams/feed/ 0 http://bluegrasspolitics.bloginky.com/2011/07/14/johnson-files-ethics-complaint-against-secretary-of-state-over-voter-registration-of-homeless/ http://bluegrasspolitics.bloginky.com/2011/07/14/johnson-files-ethics-complaint-against-secretary-of-state-over-voter-registration-of-homeless/#comments Thu, 14 Jul 2011 18:38:04 +0000 Jack Brammer http://bluegrasspolitics.bloginky.com/?p=18419 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.]]> http://bluegrasspolitics.bloginky.com/2011/07/14/johnson-files-ethics-complaint-against-secretary-of-state-over-voter-registration-of-homeless/feed/ 1