No election fraud in Kentucky: We need to stop the rhetoric and misinformation.

Despite the continued rhetoric and misinformation that unfortunately is continuing to erode the public’s trust in our elections, the fact is that there is no widespread voter fraud in our great Commonwealth of Kentucky. The so-called “Restore Election Integrity” tour commandeered by state Sen. Adrienne Southworth, R-Lawrenceburg, who continues to spread false information across Kentucky is damaging and undermining our democracy with mistruths and accusatory hypothetical language. The implications of this elected official spearheading the dissemination of falsehoods and misinformation are huge, as decreased confidence in the election process continues to negatively impact voters and, ultimately, civic engagement.

Sen. Southworth has repeatedly been criticized by top election officials, including those in her own party, for spreading conspiracy theories and election misinformation. A bipartisan group of county clerks, sheriffs and other election officials recently issued a public letter affirming the sanctity of the state’s elections. It is evident that this type of nonsensical rhetoric that she has embraced is creating a sentiment of doubt, fear, lies, narcissism, and bullying.

When all is said and done, our election process has thrived under our current Secretary of State, Michael Adams. He promised in his campaign slogan that, under his term as Secretary of State, we would create an election process that makes it “easy to vote and hard to cheat.” In my observations as part of this process, he has done exactly that, all the while being challenged with an almost impossible pandemic situation. It is also important to note that Secretary Adams was recently appointed to a national “Commission on Election Integrity” which brings leaders together at the forefront of election reform on state levels. Adams was quoted as saying “In Kentucky, we’ve proved we can expand voter access and enhance election integrity at the same time.”

Folks, here are some important facts that you should know. Our commonwealth is made up of 120 independent jurisdictions with 120 County Clerks as well as 120 partisan-represented County Boards of Elections. These County Boards are made up of the County Clerk, Sheriff, the Democratic Party Representative, and the Republican Party Representative. This ensures bi-partisan representation and unbiased elections across all 120 Counties. In addition, voting machines are never connected to the internet. There are safeguards in place to ensure that no one can tamper with the machines which include tamper-evident seals, access codes, video surveillance and bi-partisan accountability. Furthermore, this election process has successfully elected our current U.S. Senator Mitch McConnell (serving since 1985), U.S. Senator Rand Paul (serving since 2010), former-President Donald Trump (2017-2021) as well as current Governor Andy Beshear (2019).

At the end of the day, I am extremely tired of something that is so safe-guarded with checks and balances constantly being called into question by people who are only looking to ruffle feathers. There are so many great people from Pikeville to Hickman and from Covington to Albany who work hard each election cycle on a volunteer basis because they love their community and respect our democracy. For an elected official to question their integrity is a disgrace, and, quite frankly, a waste of everyone’s time.

A perfect example is the lawsuit in Campbell County where Circuit Judge Daniel Zalla recently dismissed ballot integrity allegations in the recount petition of Republican state senate candidate Jessica Neal. The recount submitted to the court indicated there was no change in the vote totals for each candidate, further proving elections in Kentucky are fair, honest, and free from these wild, and repeatedly unfounded, allegations. Judge Zalla wrote in his order: “The cornerstone of ballot integrity has not been compromised or eroded, but was properly laid and remained secure through the primary election, including during the ballot recount.”

This is the fifth lawsuit dismissed in Kentucky since the 2022 primary using the ridiculous allegations spewed by Sen. Southworth and her conspiracy theories. These actions are at an unnecessary cost to the taxpayer and an unwarranted distraction to the county clerks and election officials across our commonwealth as we prepare for the upcoming November election.

If you would like to get real, honest information, ask someone who talks in facts, not in hypothetical nonsense. Hypothetical conversations and conspiracy theories are, by design, made to create division. We are truly at a critical point in our nation’s history and without debunking these mistruths and increasing the public’s confidences in our election system, there may come a time that our country may not be able to win back the voter’s trust. To quote Abraham Lincoln, “Elections belong to the people. It’s their decision. If they decide to turn their back on the fire and burn their behinds, then they will just have to sit on their blisters.”

Our commonwealth’s official state motto is “UNITED WE STAND DIVIDED WE FALL.” We are at our best when we unite in strength and unity.

Jeff Hancock is a life-long Franklin County resident and is in his second term as the Franklin County Clerk. He is unopposed for a third term in the upcoming General Election this November. Mr. Hancock has served on the Kentucky Association of Counties legislative committee, YMCA Board, Frankfort Chamber of Commerce, Downtown Frankfort Inc., Frankfort Rotary and is the past President of the Frankfort Jaycees, and is a current member of the Kentucky County Clerks Association.