By Tom Latek
Kentucky Today
Several of Kentucky’s most populous counties were among the dozen chosen in a random drawing conducted Tuesday afternoon by Attorney General Russell Coleman to select those who will be the subjects of post-election inquiries, following the November General Election.
State law requires the Office of the Attorney General to administer post-election inquiries in no fewer than 12 counties, which are randomly selected within 20 days of the general election.
“We at the Attorney General’s office stand to protect the security of the ballot, and the integrity of our very elections,” Coleman stated prior to drawing the names of the counties from a miniature bourbon barrel.
“Our election fraud hotline received more than 700 calls from Kentuckians, including nearly 350 on Election Day itself. As a result, the Attorney General’s Department of Criminal Investigations, our DCI, has opened multiple investigations.”
Coleman thanked those who called in to the hotline if they saw something that looked suspicious, as well as his team who has been looking into each one of the inquiries into the integrity of the ballots.
The counties drawn for the post-election audits include Jefferson, Warren, Daviess, Campbell, Jessamine, Edmonson, Barren, Boyle, Trigg, Lincoln, Metcalfe and Calloway.
“In these counties, DCI will interview the county clerks, the election officials and voters themselves, Coleman said. “Detectives will review records, and generally make sure everything went smoothly. Then, our prosecutors will present the findings, those reports from our investigators to grand juries in each of the respective counties.”
Coleman also noted it was important that they investigate in Jefferson County. “On Election Day, our election fraud hotline received more than 150 complaints from Jefferson County alone. Once again, we are undertaking this effort to help every Kentuckians have faith that our elections are free, fair and secure. It’s our hope that our confidence in our elections remains high, among our fellow Kentuckians.”
He said inquiries from 10 of the 12 counties selected following the May primary were presented to their grand juries and no indictments were returned, while the investigation into the other two should be concluded in just a few days.