3 things voters need to know about allegations against Alison Grimes

Courier Journal

Show Caption Hide Caption Alison Lundergan Grimes has support from the state board of elections Secretary of State Alison Lundergan Grimes says she has support from Kentucky State Board of Elections following an accusation of abuse of authority

Republicans are demanding a federal investigation of Alison Lundergan Grimes, the commonwealth’s top election official. They say she’s abusing her power as Kentucky’s chief election official.

Sounds pretty political and pretty technical, right?

Before you tune it out, here are three reasons you should care.

Party poll workers help guarantee your vote

One of the best ways to protect the integrity of an election is to make sure there are lots of people with eyes on the actual voting. And not just any people, but an even split between Democrats and Republicans to keep each other honest. One of the allegations made this week by a top election official is that Grimes is trying to stack polling places with Democratic workers. Why? We don’t know (or know whether it’s true), but allowing a polling place to be stacked with workers from one party increases the opportunity for shenanigans. In a state that has had a history of vote buying and election fraud, voters need to have as many checks and balances as possible in place.

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Elected officials don’t get to set their own rules for voting

If elected officials have a problem with a federal order about how to handle elections, they have the option of challenging those orders in court. But if the allegations against Grimes are true — that she’s tried to “slow walk” a review of voter rolls — she’s trying to subvert an order by the federal Justice Department that’s been backed by the courts. This has echoes of Kim Davis on a bigger stage: the rule of law trumps personal beliefs and political wants.

See also: Bevin is no longer a GOP outsider. How will that affect the governor's race?

Could this be a political hit job?

The timing of the allegations, and the call by Republicans for a federal investigation, is interesting. Grimes is coming off a strong showing at the Fancy Farm political picnic, and she’s considered a top prospect to run for governor or attorney general in 2019. If it is an attempt to eliminate a leading Democrat before the race even gets under way, there’s no surprise Republicans are all over the allegations. But remember, the allegations are being made by the election board’s director, Jared Dearing, and he’s a Democrat. So if it turns out to be a political hit job, it could be an intraparty fragging that Republicans are only too eager to join. If the allegations turn out to be false, it’ll be too late for Grimes, one of the few women with statewide prospects in Kentucky.

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