The state is auditing 12 Kentucky counties’ general election results. Here’s why
A dozen Kentucky counties — including the commonwealth’s most populous, Jefferson County — will have their 2022 general election results audited by the Office of the Attorney General.
The audits are required by state law, following the passage of a bill earlier this year that increased the number of randomly audited counties from six to 12.
“These audits are incredibly important,” Attorney General Daniel Cameron said at the livestreamed Monday announcement. “I know Secretary (of State Michael) Adams and others ... take seriously the importance of making sure that our election are secure and that folks have confidence in their vote when it’s cast, and so they are very important to ensuring the confidence of our elections here in Kentucky.”
In a statement, Adams said these audits contribute to ensuring election integrity, “unlike frivolous recount lawsuits.”
“In addition to the Attorney General’s random audit of counties, in coming days we will roll out Kentucky’s first risk-limiting audit program, yet another of the numerous reforms introduced during my term,” Adams said.
Here’s what you need to know about the audits:
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Which Kentucky counties are being audited?
The counties being audited following the 2022 general election are: Jefferson, Webster, Shelby, Rowan, Oldham, Laurel, LaRue, Owen, Anderson, Christian, Daviess, and Breathitt counties.
Monroe County was also drawn, but it was audited following the primary and was therefore ineligible to be audited again. State law does not allow the same county to be audited in consecutive elections.
Why are audits required?
Prior to 2022, state law only required 5% of Kentucky’s 120 counties — six counties — be audited.
In addition to doubling the number of audited counties, Senate Bill 216 also moved up the deadline for the statewide transition to paper ballots to 2024, required video surveillance of voting machines when not in use during election periods and codified that voting machines cannot connect to the internet.
The bill passed easily in both chambers of the legislature, but Gov. Andy Beshear, a Democrat, vetoed it, citing a change to candidate fundraising reports included in the bill.
Adams supported the bill, tweeting that it offered “nonpartisan, common-sense reforms that will improve our election process, as well as public confidence in that process.”
Beshear’s veto was overridden by the Kentucky legislature, which holds Republican supermajorities in both the House of Representatives and Senate.
What have past audits found?
Similar audits of 12 random counties — Nicholas, Monroe, Graves, Metcalfe, Jackson, Hopkins, Pendleton, Boyd, Madison, Powell, Rockcastle, and Grayson counties — were conducted after the May 2022 primaries.
Cameron said irregularities were not found in any of those cases, and no criminal conduct was uncovered.
Additionally, the attorney general’s office did not find any criminal conduct following audits of 2020 primary and general election results, according to previous news releases.
Cumberland, Daviess, Floyd, Monroe, Logan, and Simpson counties were audited after the 2020 primary, and Fleming, Hickman, Lawrence, Livingston, Anderson, and Boone counties were audited after the 2020 general.
How does the audit process work?
The 12 counties to be audited were chosen at random. Cameron, who is also running for governor in 2023, drew the names at a livestreamed press conference from a container holding all 120 county names.
From there, the Attorney General’s Office’s Department of Criminal Investigations will reach out to the county clerks in the 12 selected counties to review their information.
The results will be presented to grand juries from each audited county, and the grand juries will then report their findings to the judicial circuit’s chief judge.
In general, the process takes a few weeks, though more populous counties like Jefferson or Daviess may take longer, said Greg Wolf, commissioner of the Department of Criminal Investigations.
Were there any complaints about Kentucky’s 2022 general election?
Yes, but the details aren’t known yet.
The Attorney General’s Office maintains an election hotline for Kentuckians to report any suspected fraud or other elections violations.
During the general election cycle, the hotline received 379 calls: 93 complaints prior to Election Day, 209 on Election Day and 77 more after polls closed.
Cameron said his office currently has three open criminal investigations regarding the 2022 general election. Because the cases are still open, Cameron did not provide any further information.
Cameron said his office got 330 complaints in the 2020 general election cycle, and 295 during the 2022 primaries. Tips are reviewed by a prosecutor and referred for further investigation if necessary, he said.
