Attorney General Jack Conway announced Wednesday that his Election Fraud Hotline received 205 calls from more than 60 counties between 5 a.m. and 6 p.m. CDT during Tuesday's primary election. Forty-nine calls involved allegations of vote buying/selling.
“The Election Fraud Hotline is an important tool for voters to help protect the integrity of Kentucky’s elections,” Conway said in a news release. “My office will thoroughly review each complaint for possible criminal violations. If an investigation is deemed necessary, the complaint will be referred to the appropriate agency.”
Election Fraud Hotline calls by issue for 2014 primary election
- 49 Vote Buying/Selling (8 – Breathitt, 8 – Clay, 4 – Pike, 3 – Bell, 3 – Floyd, 3 – Harlan, 3 – Laurel, 3 – Owsley, 2 – Carter, 2 – Knott, 2 – Magoffin, 1 – Bath, 1 – Clinton, 1 – Knox, 1 – Lee, 1 – Morgan, 1 – Muhlenberg, 1 – Perry, 1 – Wayne)
- 43 Legal Questions
- 25 Procedural Questions
- 25 General Election Fraud/Other
- 16 Electioneering within 300’ of Polls
- 12 Election Official
- 11 Special or Absentee Ballot
- 7 Residency
- 6 Voter Identification
- 5 Voting Machine
- 3 Voter Assistance
- 3 Disrupting Polls
- 2 Request for Assistance/Monitoring
- 2 Campaign Violation
- 1 Campaign Finance
- Breathitt – 15 (8 – Vote Buying/Selling, 2 – Disrupting Polls, 2 – Electioneering within 300’ of Polls, 1 – General Election Fraud/Other, 1 – Legal Question, 1 – Procedural Question, 1 – Residency)
- Floyd – 12 (3 – Vote Buying/Selling, 2 – Legal Question, 2 – Voter Assistance, 1 – Campaign Finance, 1 – Campaign Violation, 1 – Election Official, 1 – General Election Fraud/Other, 1 – Procedural Question, 1 – Special or Absentee Ballot)
- Pike – 11 (4 – Vote Buying/Selling, 3 – Procedural Question, 2 – General Election Fraud/Other, 1 – Election Official, 1 – Electioneering within 300’ of Polls)
- Pulaski – 11 (3 – Electioneering within 300’ of Polls, 3 – General Election Fraud/Other, 2 – Residency, 1 – Legal Question, 1 – Procedural Question, 1 – Special or Absentee Ballot)
In addition to the hotline, investigators from Conway’s Department of Criminal Investigations patrolled precincts and polling places across the state Tuesday to respond immediately to complaints. The attorney general’s Office, which has jurisdiction to investigate and prosecute election law violations, is also a member of the Kentucky Election Integrity Task Force.
Post-Election Audit As required by statute, the office of the attorney general will select six counties in a random drawing and a post-election audit will be conducted in those counties. Each county will undergo independent inquiries for any potential irregularities that may have occurred during the May 20 primary.
The counties are selected in a public drawing that must be done within 20 days of the election.
