Sec. Adams raising concerns about election misinformation in Kentucky

LEXINGTON, Ky. (WKYT) - Secretary of State Michael Adams is focused on election security.

Thursday afternoon he told the Rotary Club of Lexington the election in 2020 was safe and a success.

“I thought when we got through 2020 it was going to be smooth sailing, but there is always something, there is always a new challenge,” Sec. Adams said.

He praised the early voting laws passed in 2020, highlighted the absentee ballot portal and the absentee ballot curing process and noted the switch to paper ballots made it easier to conduct audits and recounts.

Adams thanked lawmakers for passing the state budget this session that allocated more money to run elections and said voting machines will be more secure due to a new law placing surveillance cameras on the machines.

He also noted the importance of making it a felony to harass election workers.

“We’ve had five county clerks quit within the last month. I had to refer a death threat to the FBI last month,” Adams said.

Secretary Adams says a big challenge this year will be fighting misinformation.

“We have frivolous recount efforts being attempted across the state that makes it impossible for us to prepare for the November election,” Adams said.

He pointed out the lack of poll workers.

“It’s a long day and it’s mostly senior citizens and we’ve seen a decline in volunteering by younger generations,” Adams said.

He hopes a campaign will encourage people to sign up, along with teaming with wineries, breweries, and distilleries to get the word out. They’re placing the call for help on alcoholic beverages.

“We need 15,000 poll workers to run an election in Kentucky,” Adams said.

Election Day is Tuesday, November 8.

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