The secretary of state says the problems seen at polling places in Jefferson County were human error

FRANKFORT, Ky. (WAVE) – Kentucky Attorney General Russell Coleman held a news conference at the Election Integrity Command Center on Tuesday to thank those working and reassure Kentuckians that their election was fair and secure.

The Election Integrity Command Center is open year-round, working to maintain the integrity of Kentucky’s elections. Investigators, prosecutors and staff from the Office of the Attorney General operate the hotline and answer calls on Election Day between 6:00 AM and 7:00 PM ET.

“If a caller has a credible report of fraud, contact us,” Coleman said. Reports are processed at the command center and then forwarded to the Department of Criminal Investigation, which works with the federal state and local Commonwealth partners.

The team consists of members of the Directorate of Special Prosecutions, including eight prosecutors, as well as members of the DCI.

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The FBI and Kentucky State Police are also present at the center as complaints are made to the hotline, the release said. In addition, DCI members are located throughout the Commonwealth to assist with any issues that may arise.

As of 4:00 p.m. on November 4, the Hotline received 357 complaints about possible violations of the electoral law. Messages were received from 82 of Kentucky’s 120 counties. From 6 a.m. to noon on election day, 214 complaints were received from 44 counties.

“We want to show Kentuckians that we take voter fraud seriously,” Russell said. “We take the integrity of elections seriously. It is important to all sworn and non-sworn in this room and in Kentucky law enforcement that we provide free, fair and safe elections here in our Commonwealth.”

In 2022, seven people in Monroe County were convicted of election crimes after receiving a tip through the Voter Fraud Hotline. Coleman said just a few days ago, a voting machine was taken offline in Laurel County after it was widely reported to have problems.

Multiple issues were reported in multiple surveys this morning in Jefferson County.

“My understanding of those have all been resolved,” Coleman said.

WAVE News spoke with Coleman, who could not say he saw anything illegal.

“I can’t give any better insight into what happened, other than it was resolved as quickly as possible and people got back to voting,” he said. “And that’s been resolved now, those barriers. And I understand that it took place at several ballot boxes. It was not just a polling place. So it was more systemic than that.”

Secretary of State Michael Adams told WAVE that the problem in Jefferson County was not technology failing, but human error. He said the electronic voter registers, needed to prevent electoral fraud, should have been downloaded before election day, not in the morning.

But who was responsible?

“We’ll find out after the election,” Adams said. “We will look into this thoroughly and if we need to take action, we will. If I have to ask for legislation to prevent this in the future, we certainly will. If I have to implement a regulation, I will. At this point, I’m not trying to attack anyone or blame anyone, I just want to resolve the issue.”

As of 3 p.m., the Kentucky Attorney General’s Office reported 280 complaints and investigations to their Voter Fraud Hotline.

More than half came from Jefferson County, according to figures posted on the department’s website.

Coleman told reporters that he could not say whether they had seen any criminal activity anywhere in the state either before or during the election.

“There were no allegations of conduct by any voter during the primary election,” Coleman said. “There are no charges so far this cycle. And that’s about as much as I can offer at this point.”

Coleman said to encourage those who left the polls frustrated this morning without voting to return and cast their ballots. He says all information suggests that this morning’s issues have been resolved.

“Go back to the polls,” he said. “Your voice is important. Too many have sacrificed too much for that franchise not to be exercised.”

A reminder, even when surveys close, the hotline will remain open. Calls can be made to 800-328-8683 or 800-328-VOTE. Complaints can be filed online Here.

Complaints submitted to the Electoral Fraud Hotline will be updated throughout election day. For the most up-to-date numbers, click here.