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Photo: Secretary of State website
Kentucky Secretary of State Alison Lundergan Grimes on Monday led a unanimous group of her colleagues in reaffirming states’ constitutional rights to administer federal, state, and local elections.
The members of the National Association of Secretaries of State unanimously passed a bipartisan resolution in response to a letter they received from the Presidential Commission on Election Integrity. The resolution reiterates the responsibilities of states to run elections and the secretaries’ collective “commitment to strengthening election cybersecurity and processes, and increasing voter participation
The letter from the presidential commission requested secretaries turn over sensitive voter information, including party affiliation, voting history, and Social Security numbers. More than 40 states have said they will not comply fully with the request.
After many secretaries individually expressed concerns about the request potentially jeopardizing voter privacy and infringing on states’ ability to run elections, Grimes worked with a group of her colleagues at the association’s summer conference to put forth their concerns collectively.
“We each devoutly believe in the Constitutional responsibility states have in running elections, including maintaining voter registration,” Grimes said. “As chief election officials, we are resolute in our shared obligation to ensure our elections are free and fair and engender the trust of our citizens. That means reaffirming the rights of our states to run our elections and protecting voters from unwarranted risks to their personal, sensitive information.”
The National Association of Secretaries of State is the nation’s oldest, nonpartisan professional organization for public officials. Membership is open to the 50 states, the District of Columbia and all U.S. Territories. Forty of its members are their states’ chief election officials.
Secretary of State Alison Lundergan Grimes on Thursday led a robust discussion on the trust Americans place in courts and media at the Kentucky Bar Association convention. Grimes’ panel included Kentucky Supreme Court Chief Justice John D. Minton, Jr., retired federal Judge Jennifer B. Coffman, WHAS host Terry Meiners, and television commentator Krystal Ball.
“Polling increasingly shows a disturbing and declining level of trust among Americans for public institutions like the judiciary and media,” said Grimes. “Earlier this year, my office released our Civic Health Index, a study revealing Kentucky ranks 48th in the nation for trust in media and public institutions. Our discussion today was important to identify causes and solutions for stemming the tide of distrust.”
Grimes noted that the proliferation of information sources make it easier than ever for citizens to seek news and commentary that affirms their political beliefs rather than informs them.
“If you hear something you don’t like in the media, or disagree with something from the courts, people now say, ‘They’re on the other team and the enemy’,” said Ball. “Some politicians have seized on that sentiment and use it to divide people.”
“The media is in a place to poke and ask questions and to create a pendulum of ideas. It is incumbent on the media to open the gates to keep the information flowing to the people. It’s the only way we’ll flourish,” said Meiners.
Minton, who has been traveling Kentucky discussing ways to strengthen citizens’ regard for the American judiciary, said minorities are more likely than not to have a distrust of the court system.
“There’s a firmly-held belief in the African-American community that courts are not fair to them. It raises the point that [the judiciary has] a trust deficit with certain segments of the population that we need to address,” said Minton.
Polling shows Americans have more confidence in their state courts than federal courts. Coffman said that’s due to people being more connected to their local judicial officials.
“State court judges are people who are our neighbors, maybe you go to church with them. If you put a human face on something, you are much more likely to trust it,” said Coffman. “Federal courts are reviewed as a little remote.”
The Civic Health Index showed only 46.5 percent of Kentuckians say they are a great deal or somewhat confident in the media. Ball said the media is partly to blame.
“[The media] has in some ways not done ourselves any favors. 2016 was the most substance-free election in terms of the coverage,” Ball said. “When people hear the rhetoric from politicians and then they turn on the TV and see the shouting matches, they believe the media isn’t working for them.”
“It’s a successful strategy [to say the media is fake]. But it’s cyclical. It’ll wear itself out,” said Meiners.
The panel agreed that media is instrumental in making sure the public understands the court system and how it works.
“When I came to the court, you had a press corps with a lot of knowledge about government and the courts. Now, most [reporters] don’t speak the language of the judiciary, and we have to teach them,” said Minton.
Coffman said most media approaches its reporting with trust in the judiciary: “In responsible media sources, you have an underlying belief in the rule of law.”
Grimes and the panel reiterated the important duty media and judiciary have in a healthy democracy.
“We all have a role to play in building up trust in our public institutions,” said Grimes.
Read more about Kentucky’s Civic Health Index at sos.ky.gov.
Secretary of State Alison Lundergan Grimes on Thursday announced a new initiative for Kentucky lawyers to be of assistance to state and local governments.
The Secretary of State’s Volunteer Lawyers Program will allow Kentucky attorneys to lend legal assistance to matters that may arise on Election Days. The attorneys may offer counsel to the Secretary of State, the State Board of Elections, county clerks and local boards of elections.
“Our Commonwealth is flush with legal talent who are eager to give back to Kentucky. The Volunteer Lawyers Program is a perfect way for attorneys to gain experience working with government by helping navigate legal matters that arise on Election Day,” Grimes said.
Problems at polling places on Election Day are often serious and convoluted for persons not familiar with the intricacies of election law. The role of the volunteer attorney will be to serve as a neutral source of information.
Volunteer attorneys who are part of the program must act in a neutral, non-partisan capacity. The Secretary of the State will contact the volunteer attorney as needed to respond to problems across the state. Attorneys prohibited from participating in the program include those who are actively involved in a political campaign or whose name or family member’s name appears as a candidate on the ballot.
As the 2018 elections approach, Secretary Grimes will work with the Kentucky Bar Association to issue a call for attorneys to participate this fall. Attorneys interested in serving in the Volunteer Lawyers Program should email lindsay.thurston@ky.gov.
Photo: Secretary of State website
Secretary of State Alison Lundergan Grimes this week returned from an international trade mission to Taiwan with a delegation from the United States. She is releasing a report with information about the status of the sister-states’ economic relationship.
“This mission to Taiwan affirmed for me that even though the Kentucky-Taiwan economic relationship is strong, there are more ways to enhance our bond for mutually beneficial economic growth,” said Grimes, Kentucky’s chief business official.
Grimes was one of four secretaries of state selected to participate in the trip coordinated and funded by the Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office (TECRO). She made a similar visit in 2013, making the trip her second in office.
Grimes met with several businesses with Kentucky ties in Taiwan, including Sunspring America, Inc., and Taihu Brewing. She also met with officials from Taiwan’s Bureau of Foreign Trade, Council of Agriculture, and Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
“This trip reinforced for me the need for a Kentucky trade office in Taiwan, which would help facilitate more business relationships that are mutually beneficial to the Commonwealth and Taiwan,” said Grimes. “It’s the key to growing and reinforcing our already strong trading partnership.”
During her tenure, Grimes has called on Kentucky administrations to establish a trade office in Taiwan.
Taiwan and Kentucky have been sister states since 1982 in a partnership formed by former Gov. John Y. Brown, Jr.
Grimes’ Kentucky-Taiwan Report is available here.
Secretary of State Alison Lundergan Grimes on Wednesday marked the 238th birthday of Kentucky bourbon and National Bourbon Day with a visit to Shelby County’s Jeptha Creed Distillery.
Jeptha Creed, a 15,000-square foot, $3-million distillery, opened in November 2016. The owners are mother-daughter team Joyce and Autumn Nethery. Joyce is one of three female master distillers in Kentucky. She, along with her daughter and marketing manager Autumn, designed the distillery from the ground up. The two had taken courses on distilling before deciding to open their own distillery.
“Today is another milestone in the history of Kentucky bourbon. As the bourbon industry continues to experience a tremendous boom, I’m excited Jeptha Creed – a woman-owned small business – is adding to Kentucky’s rich bourbon tradition,” said Grimes, Kentucky’s chief business official.
Jeptha Creed employs 14 people and is as a “farm-to-glass” operation with production using ingredients grown on-site or at nearby farms. The distillery sits on 64 acres of farmland.
“Even though we’re new to the industry, we feel right at home,” said Joyce Nethery. “Our whole family is involved. My son takes care of the bees and my husband is heavily involved and grows all of our corn. We grow everything we can think of to flavor our spirits straight from the Kentucky soil. We’re excited to join Sec. Grimes in celebrating bourbon’s birthday today.”
Jeptha Creed uses the “bloody butcher” corn variety in their products, an heirloom crop they grow and harvest themselves that dates back to 1845. This makes the bourbon mash pink rather than yellow. Current products include vodkas, moonshines, and Bloody Butcher’s Creed, a limited-edition bourbon that previews the distillery’s full roll-out of bourbons in 2019. Jeptha Creed’s products are distributed across Kentucky.
“Jeptha Creed is the quintessential Kentucky small, family business – mix hard work and bourbon and you have a recipe for success,” said Grimes.
Photo: Secretary of State website
Secretary of State Alison Lundergan Grimes is visiting Taiwan next week on an international trade mission to Asia with a delegation from the United States.
Grimes is one of four secretaries of state selected to participate in a trip the Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office (TECRO) is coordinating and funding. Grimes made a similar visit in 2013, making the trip her second in office.
“I am proud of the relationships we have built with companies operating in Taiwan and with government officials there. During my second visit to Taiwan, I will continue to spread the word about why doing business in Kentucky is prudent and encouraging investment in the Commonwealth,” said Grimes, who is Kentucky’s chief business official.
Grimes is committed to facilitating growth for Kentucky businesses abroad. Since her 2013 trip, Grimes has met numerous times with TECRO officials during their visits to the Commonwealth. Earlier this year, she worked with representatives to help make Kentucky the 21st U.S. state with a reciprocal driver’s license agreement with Taiwan, further strengthening economic relations.
Grimes will meet with several of the Kentucky companies with offices in Taiwan, including Ashland, Inc., Sunspring America, Inc., and Taihu Brewing. She will also meet with representatives of the Asian Pacific Council of American Chambers. Other corporations with a Kentucky-Taiwan presence include Brown-Forman and Conntek Integrated Solutions in Louisville.
Taiwan is Kentucky’s 6th largest export market in Asia with more than $147 million exports in 2015. Also in 2015, Taiwan officials signed letters of intent to purchase corn and soybeans from Kentucky growers in 2016 and 2017.
Taiwan and Kentucky have been sister states since 1982 in a partnership formed by former Gov. John Y. Brown, Jr.
“Taiwan has been one of Kentucky’s important partners on the international stage. I look forward to helping foster growth of our partnership and seeking more mutually beneficial trading relationships within Taiwan,” Grimes said.
Secretary of State Alison Lundergan Grimes welcomed and congratulated new United States citizens at a historic naturalization ceremony last 
Friday at the State Capitol, the first ever held in the building.
Grimes recognized 40 new citizens from 25 different countries who took the oath of citizenship to become naturalized Americans officially. She spoke to the new citizens and their families about the importance of voter participation, civic engagement, and being committed to their communities.
“This experience is awe-inspiring. You’re sitting under this capitol dome, the very seat of government in Kentucky, and becoming Kentuckians and Americans today,” Grimes said. “To all of you here, no matter where you are from, I say ‘Welcome home.'”
Grimes encouraged the new citizens to register to vote via Kentucky’s online registration portal at GoVoteKY.com, a right they attained after becoming citizens. The portal is easy to navigate and it takes just a few short minutes to complete the registration process, Grimes said.
“Standing in the center of the rotunda is a statue of Kentuckian Abraham Lincoln, the 16th president of the United States. It is important to remember his words, ‘You cannot escape the responsibility of tomorrow by evading it today.’ As a citizen, you have the right and the responsibility to be active and engaged in your government and your community.”
Grimes expressed to the new citizens the importance of participating in elections and asked them to go to the polls in every cycle.
“Your vote is your voice, and now you are able to express your views at the ballot box. I encourage you to cast your vote in every cycle, in every election, in every race you are able. Our future is built by people who vote,” said Grimes.
Judge Gregory F. Van Tatenhove of the Eastern District of Kentucky presided over the proceedings.
“You chose us,” said Van Tatenhove. “And with your certificate, you now have a responsibility to protect and use the rights you have been given as a citizen of the United States.”
