FRANKFORT, Ky. (LEX 18) — On Monday, Franklin Circuit Court Judge Thomas D. Wingate issued an injunction against the State Board of Elections to return 175,000 voters to the master vote roll prior to the November 5, 2019 General Election.
Last Month, Secretary of State Alison Lundergan Grimes demanded the board reverse placing 175,000 registered Kentucky voters on an "inactive" list.
The Kentucky Democratic Party filed suit over the inactive list in Franklin Circuit Court to which Grimes urged the Court to take swift action to protect these voters.
“If Alison Lundergan Grimes had the authority that she should have under our Constitution to control this process, we would not be depriving 175,000 registered voters from being on the voter rolls,” said Kenyon Meyer, Counsel for the Office of the Secretary of State. “This is a prime example with the problem of putting non-elected bureaucrats in charge of a process that is central to our democracy.”
Grimes was removed as chair of the State Board of Elections in March. Actions by the board to move registered voters to an inactive list began two months later.
“When our voter file is requested and 175,000 registered voters are not included, that's a problem. The court agreed and said loudly that accurate voter rolls should not come at the expense of rights of our voters,” said Grimes. “I agree and am grateful for the court’s assistance in ordering the Board to do what I demanded last month. My hope is that all Kentucky voters will have their voice heard and vote in the upcoming election.”
