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Grimes Prepared for Election Recanvass

Grimes Prepared for Election Recanvass
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By West Kentucky Star Staff
Nov. 09, 2019 | FRANKFORT
By West Kentucky Star Staff Nov. 09, 2019 | 08:42 PM | FRANKFORT
In the wake of the gubernatorial election between Governor Matt Bevin and Attorney General Andy Beshear, Secretary of State Alison Lundergan Grimes, Kentucky’s chief election official, is preparing for a recanvass on Thursday,November 14th.

On Wednesday, November 6 the Secretary of State's Office received a request for recanvass from Governor Matt Bevin, requesting "a check and recanvass of the voting machines and absentee ballots of all precincts in Kentucky involving my race for Governor."

“Both candidates and the public are entitled to confidence in election results, and I stand ready to oversee the recanvass,” said Grimes. “My office is prepared and will continue to provide updates regarding any other recanvass requests we receive and the procedures being followed.”

To obtain a recanvass of votes for offices in which candidates file with the Secretary of State, a candidate must submit a written request to the Secretary of State’s office no later than 4:00 p.m., Eastern Time, on November 12. The request may be limited to certain precincts or counties or seek a statewide recanvass, and the Secretary of State’s Office will communicate the request to all county boards of elections involved.

Pursuant to Kentucky law, the county boards of elections for the counties in which a recanvass was requested will convene at 9 a.m. on November 14 to recheck and recanvass each voting machine and make a return to the county clerk, which shall become the official return for the county.

Each candidate and both political parties are entitled to have a representative present at the recanvass. In addition, the county board of elections shall authorize members of the media to observe.

The purpose of a recanvass is to verify the accuracy of the vote totals reported from the voting machines. The method for conducting the recanvass depends on the type of voting machine and is set forth in an administrative regulation, 31 KAR 4:070. No voting machines are unlocked during the recanvass. If there was an error in the original canvass, the returns shall be corrected. The county board of elections must file its recanvass report with the Secretary of State immediately upon completion of the recanvass.

The Secretary of State’s office has distributed to all county clerks the Recanvass of Official Count and Record of Election Totals Form to be used by the county boards of elections in reporting all recanvassed votes of candidates seeking the office of Governor/Lt. Governor.

Since January 2011, the Secretary of State’s office has received 23 recanvass requests – the recanvass with the largest vote margin, 1,911 votes, was in the Democratic Presidential Primary in May 2016. The recanvass results did not change the outcome of that election.

The filing deadline for candidates to file a written request for recanvass with the Secretary of State's Office is Tuesday, November 12th at 4:00 pm.
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