Kentucky Secretary of State Alison Lundergan Grimes is facing accusations that she improperly handled the state’s voter information. The Lexington Herald-Leader reports that Jared Dearing, the executive director of the state Board of Elections and a fellow Democrat, outlined the allegations in a nine-page letter sent to the Executive Branch Ethics Commission.
In it, he accuses Grimes of gaining improper access to election rolls, information about poll workers, and the state’s voter registration database. Dearing also alleges that Grimes directed staff to sidestep the requirements of a settlement between the elections board and the U.S. Department of Justice and created a hostile workplace.
A Grimes’ spokesperson said the charges are “baseless” and lack a “basic understanding of the constitutional role and duties of the chief election official.”
While Dearing said he has no reason to think the secretary would manipulate the Commonwealth’s elections, he is calling for an ethics commission probe into the matter.
