Matt Bevin supporter's robocall seeks 'suspicious activity' at polls ahead of recanvass

Joe Sonka | Courier Journal

Show Caption Hide Caption Kentucky governor election: A look at Bevin's voter fraud claims Courier Journal reporters Ben Tobin and Billy Kobin look at the multiple voting irregularities claimed by Gov. Matt Bevin.

Conservative political activist Frank Simon, a longtime supporter of Gov. Matt Bevin, is sending robocalls asking Kentuckians to report suspicious activity or voter fraud to the State Board of Elections before Nov. 14 — the day of Bevin's requested recanvass.

Bevin finished 5,189 votes behind Democrat Andy Beshear in Tuesday's gubernatorial election but has refused to concede the race, requesting a recanvass of the vote, which is essentially a review of the vote totals in each county.

The governor has also made allegations of widespread voting irregularities and fraud on Election Day, but he hasn't provided any evidence to back up those claims.

According to a voicemail of the robocall sent to a Republican in Western Kentucky, Simon identifies himself and says, "If you or anyone you know has information regarding suspicious activity at polling locations, please report suspected voter fraud to the state department of elections by calling 502-573-7100."

He also asked that those calls to the State Board of Elections phone number take place by Nov. 13 — the day before each county board of elections conducts the recanvass.

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There is no disclaimer on the call indicating who paid for it, nor is it explained that the call is not coming from the State Board of Elections.

Simon, of Louisville, did not return voicemails and an email asking who paid for the robocall and how many people it went to, or if any other group requested that he make the calls.

The president of the American Family Association of Kentucky, Simon has been known for decades as a socially conservative political activist, most notably for his opposition to Louisville's 1999 ordinance banning discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity.

Simon was an early supporter of Bevin's run for U.S. Senate against Sen. Mitch McConnell in 2014 and his first run for governor the following year. He contributed at least $1,500 to Bevin's reelection campaign this year, and his organization endorsed the governor.

A spokesperson for Bevin's campaign did not immediately reply to an email asking if it paid for or coordinated in any way with Simon on the robocall.

In a Wednesday statement to reporters, the governor alleged absentee ballots were illegally counted, people were turned away at the polls, voting machines malfunctioned and ballots were stored in open boxes.

'I knew he was in big trouble': An inside look at 24 crazy hours in Bevin vs. Beshear

He offered no proof for the claims. The Courier Journal dug into Bevin's allegations, interviewing local-level election officials, who called the claims "flatly not true" and "ridiculous."

A spokesperson for Secretary of State Alison Lundergan Grimes told The Courier Journal their office is aware of the call, but neither their office nor the State Board of Elections had anything to do with the call.

My office has received concerns regarding a call being circulated. This call is not in conjunction with the Secretary of State’s Office!



Please call @KySecofState ➡️ 502-564-3490 if you have received this call or have any questions! pic.twitter.com/qzwPqN5rwk — Alison L. Grimes (@KySecofState) November 8, 2019

Grimes' office also confirmed that it has received complaints from people receiving Simon's calls in multiple counties across Kentucky, including Christian County in the west and Boyd and Rockcastle counties in the east.

Jared Dearing, the chairman of the State Board of Elections, issued a statement that it "takes all claims of voting impropriety seriously and communicates all complaints to our investigative partners."

The board will continue to working with county boards and county clerks during the recanvass process and meet on Nov. 21 to certify the election based on those recanvassed vote totals, he added.

Simon's robocall went out the same day that multiple Republican state legislators suggested Bevin's dispute of the election results should not extend past the recanvass, warning that his efforts to find "irregularities" should not turn into "a fishing expedition."

Republican lawmakers: Bevin can't turn election dispute into 'fishing expedition'

Reach reporter Joe Sonka at jsonka@courierjournal.com or 502-582-4472 and follow him on Twitter at @joesonka. Support strong local journalism by subscribing today: courierjournal.com/subscribe.