Secretary Of State Addresses Lawsuit

A federal lawsuit, filed by the group Kentuckians for the Commonwealth, argues Kentucky’s voting policy violates federal protections for voters.

In his first term, Kentucky Secretary of State Michael Adams says he removed nearly 350 thousand people from the voter rolls, including people who have passed away or moved out of state.

“What we’re talking about here is a modest number of people who both moved to another state and then they told their secretary of state in their new state, ‘I’m voting here now,’” said Secretary of State Michael Adams.

A federal lawsuit, filed by Kentuckians for the Commonwealth, argues House Bill 574 “flagrantly violates” requirements under the National Voter Registration Act of 1993 by “allowing voters to be removed without notice, response opportunity, and waiting period.”

Adams says if people move out of state, they are sent notices.

“We want them to tell us, hey, is this right? Did you move out of state? And if so, do you want to deregister from the rolls, or do you want to stay on the rolls? If they don’t tell us, either way, we leave them on the rolls just to be safe,” said Adams.

Since the bill in question was passed in 2021, Adams says the timing of the lawsuit is an attempt to disrupt the upcoming election.

The lawsuit asks the court to issue a permanent injunction preventing the state from “canceling the registration of voters without following the required procedures.”
Source: WBKO