PINEVILLE, Ky./EWORLDWIRE/Sep. 5, 2007 --- "Monday's discovery by the
Attorney General's Office that voting machines in Jefferson County were
not certified by the state is another indication that the present
Republican Secretary of State, Trey Grayson, is not up to performing
his job as Kentucky's Chief Election Officer and needs to be replaced
by the voters in the November election," said Bruce Hendrickson, the
former mayor of Pineville who is the Democratic nominee for Kentucky
Secretary of State.
Hendrickson further said, "It seems to me that the current Secretary of State is too dependent upon the office of Attorney General in performing his job as the Chief Election Officer."
According to Hendrickson, the Secretary of State as Chief Election Officer should have a program of working with the County Clerks to make sure every voting machine in the Commonwealth is state certified. If he does not have the personnel to do the job, then the Secretary of State needs to let the General Assembly know that he has a problem. To date, Mr. Grayson has not contacted or testified before the General Assembly about having a problem addressing his ability to certify all the voting machines in Kentucky.
As Secretary of State, Hendrickson plans to begin a comprehensive review how the Secretary of State can improve his work as Kentucky's Chief Election Officer. This includes formation of a County Clerks' Advisory Committee to assist the Secretary of State in administering elections and preventing fraud.
As Secretary of State, Hendrickson believes that he (the Secretary of State) should testify before the General Assembly to help it understand the challenges faced by local clerks in assisting the Secretary of State in holding elections. One of the major challenges is the lack of adequate funding for personnel and operations in the offices of the offices of the 120 county clerks.
"Fair elections are essential to American Democracy," stated Hendrickson. "Operation of elections should be a priority in any state budget. This has not always been the case as in the example of the possibility of a primary run-off had some counties looking at financial bankruptcy.
"As Secretary of State, I will work with Steve Beshear and Dan Mongiardo to make sure that all legislation regarding the operation of elections is funded so that counties will not be facing even the possibility of bankruptcy in the future."
Hendrickson further said, "It seems to me that the current Secretary of State is too dependent upon the office of Attorney General in performing his job as the Chief Election Officer."
According to Hendrickson, the Secretary of State as Chief Election Officer should have a program of working with the County Clerks to make sure every voting machine in the Commonwealth is state certified. If he does not have the personnel to do the job, then the Secretary of State needs to let the General Assembly know that he has a problem. To date, Mr. Grayson has not contacted or testified before the General Assembly about having a problem addressing his ability to certify all the voting machines in Kentucky.
As Secretary of State, Hendrickson plans to begin a comprehensive review how the Secretary of State can improve his work as Kentucky's Chief Election Officer. This includes formation of a County Clerks' Advisory Committee to assist the Secretary of State in administering elections and preventing fraud.
As Secretary of State, Hendrickson believes that he (the Secretary of State) should testify before the General Assembly to help it understand the challenges faced by local clerks in assisting the Secretary of State in holding elections. One of the major challenges is the lack of adequate funding for personnel and operations in the offices of the offices of the 120 county clerks.
"Fair elections are essential to American Democracy," stated Hendrickson. "Operation of elections should be a priority in any state budget. This has not always been the case as in the example of the possibility of a primary run-off had some counties looking at financial bankruptcy.
"As Secretary of State, I will work with Steve Beshear and Dan Mongiardo to make sure that all legislation regarding the operation of elections is funded so that counties will not be facing even the possibility of bankruptcy in the future."
Election Day '09 was a roller-coaster for election reformers. Instant runoff voting had a great night in Minnesota, where St. Paul voters chose to implement IRV for its city elections, and Minneapolis voters used IRV for the first time—with local media touting it as a big success. As the Star-Tribune noted in endorsing IRV for St. Paul, Tuesday’s elections give the Twin Cities a chance to show the whole state of Minnesota the benefits of adopting IRV. There were disappointments in Lowell and Pierce County too, but high-profile multi-candidate races in New Jersey and New York keep policymakers focused on ways to reform elections; the Baltimore Sun and Miami Herald were among many newspapers publishing commentary from FairVote board member and former presidential candidate John Anderson on how IRV can mitigate the problems of plurality elections.