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When former President Donald Trump falsely claimed that President Joe Biden stole the 2020 election, the move placed a greater emphasis on the integrity of elections in the U.S.
In each state, the secretary of state serves as the chief election official and, consequently, the position came under increased scrutiny after Trump’s claims.
The position is now a hotly contested battleground with increased prominence in elections.
Every four years, Kentucky holds elections for the state’s constitutional seats, including secretary of state, attorney general, agriculture commissioner, treasurer and auditor.
In 2023, Kentucky will elect a new secretary of state or re-elect Michael Adams.
But what does a secretary of state do? LINK nky talked with Michon Lindstrom, the communications director for Michael Adams, about the role.
What does a secretary of state do?
ML: Most notably, the secretary of state is the chief election official. All statewide (and) judicial (candidates) or candidates who represent more than one county must file with the office in order to run. In addition, the secretary of state serves as chair of the State Board of Elections.
Second, the secretary of the state is just that: He is literally the secretary of the state. He is responsible for keeping a register of all official acts of the governor. This is the Executive Journal. The Executive Journal contains pardons, restorations of civil rights, requisitions and extraditions, appointments, proclamations and reorganizations.
The secretary of state is also the filing agent for enacted legislation and legislation that is vetoed by the governor after sine die. (Sine die is the last day of the legislative session.)
Third, the secretary of state is the chief business official of the state. All businesses must register and renew their registration with the office.
Finally, the secretary of state is responsible for housing records pertaining to Kentucky land patents, including those issued prior to 1792 when Kentucky was part of Virginia.
Editor’s note: A land patent is a form of letters giving ownership on a piece of land.
Has the position changed in recent years, and if so, why and how?
ML: Yes, the secretary of state was removed as chair of the State Board of Elections in 2019. The chair position was reinstated by legislation in 2022.
Editor’s note: The office was put under probation in 2019 after former Secretary of State Alison Lundergan Grimes was investigated on charges of using the state’s voter registration system and a “power grab” that gave her sway over the State Board of Elections. The Legislature then took an emergency measure to remove the secretary of state as the chair of the State Board of Elections.
Across the country and in Kentucky, we’ve seen attempts in recent years to discredit election integrity. Now, the secretaries of state – including Kentucky’s – are charged with fighting back against this onslaught. How has that changed the role of what the secretary of state does?
ML: Not in statute but in practice. The Secretary of State and (his or her) employees spend a lot of their time correcting or dispelling misinformation. The disinformation about the election process that has gained prominence since 2020 has elevated the position of SOS to become more notable. It is important that the public know the SOS and other election officials are the only source of trusted election information.
Meet the Republican candidates for secretary of state
Elections in the United States have come under scrutiny in recent years, with former President Donald Trump falsely claiming Joe Biden stole the 2020 election. That puts greater pressure – and scrutiny – on secretaries of state, who chiefly oversee state elections.
In Kentucky, multiple candidates requested recounts in 2022 to attempt to prove problems in Kentucky’s election systems – despite losing by significant amounts, as well as recounts proving there were no errors in the voting systems.
In 2023, Kentucky will elect a new secretary of state or re-elect Michael Adams. The topic of election integrity will be front-and-center in this race.
With only one Democrat, Buddy Wheatley, running, whoever moves on from the GOP primary will face the former state representative in the fall.
Here is a look at the candidates running for the Republican nomination for secretary of state in the commonwealth.
Secretary of State Michael Adams
Incumbent Republican Michael Adams expanded in-person early voting, has worked to clean up the state’s voter rolls and is widely considered to work well across the political aisle. He even worked with Wheatley on voting legislation when the latter was at the statehouse.
Adams also regularly fends off accusations against election impropriety in Kentucky’s elections.
“We’ve done more in three years to make it easy to vote and hard to cheat than our predecessors were able to do in 200 years,” Adams said. “My campaign welcomes support from all Kentuckians. I do not take this race for granted, nor should anyone who wants fair, free, accessible and secure elections.”
With several state legislative candidates requesting recounts over alleged election impropriety in 2022, Adams regularly spoke out against “election deniers,” including Jessica Neal, former Republican candidate for NKY’s 24th Senate District. Adams called such lawsuits frivolous.
“If Ms. Neal had evidence of impropriety, she could provide it to the court, law enforcement and election officials, but she has failed to do so,” Adams said at the time. “She should not bring a frivolous lawsuit to challenge an election whose outcome she admits will not change.”
Adams does have critics in the Republican party, with the Boone County Republican Party censuring him – a symbolic act with no repercussions – over election recounts.
“The BCRP believes that Secretary of State Michal Adams, a high-ranking Republican officeholder, has publicly disparaged Republican candidates, has deliberately shirked his duties under the law, and abused the public trust in order to validate his own personal interests and Beliefs,” the group said in a statement.
Read more about Adams at his website: https://michaelgadams.com/
Former Erlanger City Councilman Stephen Knipper
Knipper, one of Adams’ chief critics, claimed there is widespread fraud in Kentucky’s elections. He previously ran against Adams for secretary of state.
During the recount brought by Jessica Neal, Campbell County Circuit Court Judge Daniel Zalla wrote in a ruling that Knipper and others who claim election fraud are inconsistent in their public statements vs. what they said under oath on the issue.
Knipper also served as chief of staff to former Lt. Gov. Jenean Hampton. He operates the “Restore Election Integrity Tour” with Kentucky Sen. Adrienne Southworth (R-Anderson), which claims there is widespread election fraud.
When questioned under oath, Knipper said there isn’t any evidence of impropriety in the election.
Knipper appeared on Mike Lindell’s Moment of Truth Summit last year and suggested that the ballots in Campbell County were stuffed. Lindell is the founder of My Pillow Inc. and a vocal proponent of overturning the 2020 presidential election results.
When asked why he’s running, he said it’s pretty obvious. He has run for the position in the past and said there are a lot of questions. When pressed about what those questions are, he said people will need to stay tuned.
“There’s a lot of unanswered questions, and we’ll just discover them and go along as we did last time,” Knipper said.
Read more about Knipper’s campaign at: https://integrity4ky.com/
Allen Maricle
Maricle served as a state representative from 1994 to 1998. He is running on a ticket that claims there’s election fraud throughout the state and country.
“We have polling locations consolidated and shut down,” he said in a statement. “We have come to rely too much on technology when much technology is in question or potentially flawed. We must reopen all polling locations, and we must ensure the process we use for our elections is, without question, secure and accurate.”
