FRANKFORT, Ky. – Attorney General Andy Beshear has announced the six Kentucky counties to undergo independent inquiries for any potential irregularities that may have occurred during the Nov. 8 General Election.
The counties, randomly drawn by Beshear in a publicly held drawing, include Calloway, Carter, Jackson, Leslie, Muhlenberg and Wayne.
“These audits ensure a fair and clean election process in Kentucky and broaden the work of our investigators leading up to and during the General Election,” Beshear said.
The selection of these counties does not imply that irregularities are suspected, Beshear said.
Kentucky law requires the Office of the Attorney General to conduct postelection audits in no fewer than 5 percent of Kentucky’s counties following each primary and general election, and to randomly select the counties in a publicly held drawing.
The six routine audits involve AG staff interviewing local officials and random election officers. Investigators will review sheriff precinct reports, election reports, voter assistance forms and absentee ballot applications. Investigators will randomly call voters who voted absentee to validate their documentation.
After the audits are completed, they will be presented to local grand juries.
Beshear said there were no irregularities found in the six counties selected during the last postelection audit for the primary election in May. Those counties included Anderson, Breathitt, Garrard, Laurel, Shelby and Todd.
General Election
As of Nov. 22, Beshear’s office has received 277 election complaints by phone, email, fax or letters in 66 counties.
The Attorney General’s Election Fraud hotline received 216 calls from 59 counties on election day.
Prior to election day, the AG’s office received 48 election complaints. The office received 13 additional complaints after election day.
The majority of the 277 complaints were in the following counties:
Sixty-one complaints statewide were procedural questions. Other complaints focused on election officials, voting machines, electioneering within 100 feet of the polls and legal questions.
There were nine allegations of vote buying throughout the state. Three allegations in Perry County and one allegation in each of the following counties: Campbell, Breathitt, Fayette, Floyd, Harlan and Owsley.
All allegations were investigated by AG investigators and all complaints have been closed.
