>> Kentucky's May 17th primary election.

This year marks the first time state voting reforms will be in place for a statewide election.

I'm joined by Kentucky secretary of state Michael Adams to talk to us about the some of the new voting rules, how he's addressing misconceptions and disinformation about election integrity and the shifts in party registration that's now on connections.

Thank you for joining us for connections today.

I'm Renee Shaw, primary election Day in Kentucky is right around the corner and there are some new options available to Kentucky voters.

Kentucky secretary of State Michael Adams joins me to talk about recent election reforms.

What's on this year's ballot changes in party registration?

The need for poll workers and more so welcome.

Miss secretary out of this.

Good to have you.

>> Great to be back in studio.

Love your living room.

Yeah, he's great.

So this is a different set.

You're usually on the big set.

Yeah.

the been all kinds of formats with us.

So we appreciate you're always being available.

Thank you.

I've got a really busy Ayad had a break since the session ended up in the car, traveling the state, meet with our clerk's and then get the election about to happen to.

>> Yeah.

So first of all, I want to say to our audience that this is the funniest man on I follow you perhaps more for your hammer that I do for some election of His shot right off the bat.

And we do want to congratulate you publicly for been chosen as a fellow in the Rodale Fellowship in Public leadership, which is the nation's premier leadership development program for elected officials.

So congratulations on that endeavor, which is a nonpartisan operation, Correct?

>> Yes, it's a it's essentially a program for up and coming leaders who shown the willingness and ability to work across party lines.

And so we've already had our first session of that.

Some great Democrats and Republicans around the country.

>> Yes.

So this the approach or the overall goal for this is what >> essentially is to train us and how to build coalitions and solve major problems, which we don't have enough of.

Unfortunately, politics today.

>> Yeah, a lot of polarization.

This hopes to be the antithesis that and bring a across some solutions.

So we'll have to follow up on that when the how long is it?

>> It lasts about a year and a half.

>> Okay.

Great, great.

So let's talk about election.

That's coming By the time this airs, it will be a maybe a week before voters and make an already by the time we start airing this, be able to vote, I do want to talk about what are the options that voters have this time around?

>> Welcome to kids have never had an election system that's been more accessible or a security has been in my term.

I'm very proud of that.

I've worked very hard to produce that.

Here are the options.

If you can.

If you meet the criteria that we've had for a long time but are especially important in the age of COVID your age, your health, if you're in your last trimester of pregnancy, if you've got a reason you cannot be president.

The polls during in-person voting, you can vote absentee but still right.

You've got this in the state Constitution.

Fact we made it easier to go to our portal eso ESTA K why dot Gov.

You can request your absentee ballot.

You can also track about the we track an Amazon package.

It's very convenient.

you have to mail that back.

You can if you choose, you can also bring for the drop box and feel more comfortable putting in a drop box and the poor getting it directly.

So just to reiterate, if you're concerned about COVID in 2020 because if you're immunocompromised status or your age, he still have the same right to vote absentee that you did at that time.

The next option you've got this is new.

This came out of our session this year.

We had bipartisan collaboration again on election reform.

You can vote in-person absentee.

Those We're taping Those states are about to start there are 6 business days before early voting starts May 4th through 6th and 9th through 11th.

And those are days where if you qualify to vote absentee, maybe you're traveling during early voting or meet the criteria.

Any one of them person.

But you can't because you're not here.

You can vote in person.

The clerk's office in-person absentee 3rd way to vote is to vote in person early.

No excuses The Thursday Friday, Saturday is state law.

Now voting days in the session, we passed a new law to expand those voting hours on those days.

You now that 8 hours.

But on Saturday, that's a game changer for working people.

So May 12th and 14th early voting.

No excuses necessary.

We've got multiple locations for those, of course, force option is the governor Election Day?

>> Yeah, people love to do.

I'm sure one of those things that kind of generates that American pride in doing an exercise that everyone can do.

Yeah.

>> So this isn't a Constitution.

06:00AM to 06:00PM Standard Center practice.

A lot of the counties have opened the old precincts again, some of not some of Duncan's saw that voting locations.

If you want more information and to our So let's talk a lot.

I got to find where you vote and when all the details.

Yeah.

>> So it's a midterm election.

And we know historically that turnout is low or lower during this time, you have any expectations about what the May primary could bring.

As far as turnout is concerned.

I would like to be able to make a projection.

I'm not there Here's how we used to do Secretary Grimes, 6 Trey Grayson are pretty good at predicting the turnout.

>> All they had to do is take the absentee ballot requests.

Multiply times 50 because consistently for decades to percent voted absentee and then any percent voted in-person one day and 12 hour span.

That's changed.

That had a lot of good changes.

That means are more options.

So it's hard to extrapolate from the requests that we've gotten.

I can tell you this.

We've had about twice as many requests twice as many more requests for absentee ballots in this cycle that we had this 0.4 years ago.

>> Okay.

That's bodes well right.

What if we're not sure we're not sure that means higher turnout or if people that were exposed to absentee voting in 2020 for the first time.

Love that really got it again.

So it's harder this time to make a prediction.

>> Here's what I can tell you.

When I ran in 2019.

>> That was governor attorney general, my races, cetera.

We have 19% turnout.

This is pretty low.

I think it will be higher than that.

You've got county You've got mid.

You've got to primaries in counties that are one party, some of them Democrat or Republican.

So the primary is the general.

I think you'll have a pretty good turnout.

But it will be much higher in some places.

It is in other places.

Yeah.

Yeah.

A good point about that.

>> I do want to go back to a couple of things and I want us to revisit what you talked the reforms that were passed this We know that in 2019 you got your voter ID photo by 2020, 2020.

I always I always want to miss Twenty-twenty for lots of reasons.

And then last year 2021, there were some reforms, but I want to put on screen just to reinforce what the bills that were passed this session.

Let's start with House Bill 5.64.

And you've mentioned this.

I just want to put it up on the screen for extra reinforcement about what it does clarifies early voting locations be open for 8 hours at 6 days of in-person absentee voting before early voting starts codifies existing policy of not connecting voting machines to the Internet.

This was a big discussion point during the legislative session.

I want to put pen into this one.

Why is this such a major issue for some?

>> Unfortunately, there are people who are spreading false information about our election system.

In many cases, they're literally selling tickets, selling admission to their presentations where they allege irregularities and and both stealing in our process.

And all this is just whiteley and I get emails and calls about it.

Legislators get them and we're sick and tired of it.

And the best way, I think for us to put a stake in this urban legend, this to say, look, here's the statute.

It's illegal.

We can't do it.

If someone does it there, they're going to present and it's never been done.

It's ever been done.

Yeah.

>> And then the last thing includes legal protections of election workers from harassment and intimidation.

So how much of an issue was this?

How has it been?

>> Unfortunately, became an issue in 2020.

This is an example of how we've been bipartisan.

This is a bill that Woods was sponsored by Democratic representative from Newport, Kentucky, Rich Roberts.

She approached me, Sharon Bill.

We took her bill and put it into our larger Bill.

We have had a policy previously, a law previously made it a crime to threaten or intimidate election workers.

But the term was adequately this broad definition in this language now protects me in my staff.

We got threats and abuse that takes the boards of elections that protects the poll.

Workers.

There's 15,000 plus people that it takes to run election.

Kentucky and we want them all feeling protected.

We don't want any threat of harm deterring people from volunteering.

>> I do want to go back to when you were not for the photo voter ID, but for those reforms during the pandemic.

And even you were criticized by members of your own party.

So were you facing harassment or intimidation from members of your own party then or even subsequently?

>> Yes, I got it from both parties.

I got it from Charles Booker and his friends on the left.

The colder spots oppressors and they drove abuse and even death threats to our team.

And we got it from the right to get it from both sides.

>> Has that subsided?

Yeah, it has subsided.

But as her husband election, right, 7.

Yeah.

We'll get a lot of that in the primary at the primaries are pretty sleepy other than local races November.

I'm not sure yet.

Yes, a Senate bill to 16.

Let's talk about this.

I will put this on the screen to our reiterate reinforce for our viewers.

A doubles a number of county subjected to post-election audits.

And why is this important?

>> There has been a lot of from constituents primarily from one side of the aisle wanting what's called for what they call a forensic audit.

The problem with that is there is no such thing as a forensic audit.

It doesn't exist.

It's a it's a made up term that people see on Twitter.

But it's an actual thing.

There's no thing called a forensic audit.

I think appropriate to have our math checked.

I think it's appropriate to have the government through checks and balances watch itself we already have had for many years, a process where the attorney general is authorized to perform audits.

This expands the number of audits that he's allowed to do.

It actually doubles the number of the he's allowed to do.

Those are done at of separately.

This bill also expands was called risk-limiting audits in English.

What that means is we're moving to paper ballots away from what running machines, the paper bouts go into the machine and they fall down to little been.

This simply means that we go to machine and we unlock and then we count the votes in there against the count that the tape told us that printed from the machine.

It's just a simple verification process.

So we're doing that.

>> Yes, and our debt just to reiterate that's part of a Senate bill to 60 moves up the full transition to paper ballots to January first 2024 and places voting machines under video surveillance when not in operation.

So I do want to go back to that second point about the paper ballots because some people who are just maybe natively electronic be like, isn't that a step backwards?

>> No, not at all.

Paper ballots gives you the advantage of a quick count.

We love being first in the country election not to put our our results on the board will still have that, but also gives you the ability to have a paper trail to do it on it.

What I'm talking about right to do a recount, if you do a recount.

We had a state rep race before I was in office back in 2018.

There was a time you remember all remote high in Owensboro.

It's a House race and they said, OK, lets to recount will take.

They couldn't.

That's right.

There's no ballots to recount with this.

We have a better system.

But also you, bill, more voter confidence voters trust piece of paper.

These machines.

You're going to mark your paper and put the machine in the shoes in reading and he's going to show you what you picked and make sure it's reading it right.

There's one of these urban legend says that the machines have been changing people's votes.

And of course, the fear is always that one party is losing both to the parties getting votes.

It that would happen in a randomized situation.

But regardless I've had Democrats tell me they want paper ballots.

Republicans tell me this independence, even libertarians and they're all right.

So one other bill that was important, the session is House Bill.

One, the stands right now.

The money Bill, I'll give the governor some credit.

He proposed 25 million dollars to be allocated the county's for an upgrade.

Their equipment, the Republican legislature agreed.

Everyone came together and it's going to improve the experience for all.

Kentuckians voted.

>> But the video surveillance, under video surveillance when not in operation.

Why would that be necessary if they're not in operation?

>> Well, when we had just one day to vote, you didn't need any kind of of the machines when the voting was occurring because you just roll him out of 6 in the morning and you 0, 6 o'clock at night and you're done when you have multiple days of voting as we've provided, you need some sort of protocols during the evening hours when those machines are not being voted on there being supervisor, they're voting on when they're voting on the old law said to be under a lock and key.

Well, that assume that they were all under the control.

The county clerk and on Election Day.

Bottom all back to the clerk's office will now these are being stationed at private locations at schools and churches, community centers.

We don't have that sort of same physical custody so the weight of a crate for this is to have them all required to enter video surveillance.

>> And the money that was appropriated and Senate bill.

Our House Bill, one excuse me, does that take care of the cost of all of those equipment that they're not?

It's not there's not a line on him in there for this cost, but the state, the legislature and the governor did increase the overall There's a statute that requires a per voter allocation to each county clerk for them to be able to run their elections with underfunded.

recently that's been fully funded.

So there will be adequate funds to pay for the technology.

And in fact, the clerks Association was fine with us.

>> And the last couple years has been a lot of discussion about election security and integrity and also last fall.

You are part of the University of Kentucky conversation that I was fortunate to moderate about the nation's elections and reform efforts.

And you said that the presidential election was fairly conducted and you said Joe Biden won the election, but there are some things that we can do better.

There were mistakes made, but I don't think any of those mistakes change who won the election.

What were those mistakes?

And is the country ready to embrace some change to make sure those mistakes aren't repeated?

I don't call it.

I said in October, but I'm sure it was was was The here's a couple of things I can I can tell you.

I know one city particular Pennsylvania >> the secretary of state there actually sued to overturn election integrity laws that have been in place and uncontroversial with regard to verify signatures of voters on mail-in and absentee ballots.

That doesn't mean that the election was stolen.

It doesn't mean that there was fraud.

It doesn't mean that if there was fraud, all the fraud was for one person gets either candidate.

But it's a bad look.

And it meant that people that have confidence in that system.

Yeah.

So you believe that the election reforms in Kentucky will build public confidence and >> we'll see if that's the case.

How things turn out in November.

Perhaps.

>> I think so.

There's 2 things ship to get right.

I think in this field have confidence.

One is you need a good system that shows people that you're taking it seriously.

But the other is being fair-minded, the nonpartisan about it and trying to bring Democrats Republicans together.

What you've seen both in other states that the federal level as one party tries to pass new rules in its favor over the other party.

Nancy Pelosi has done that.

Chuck Schumer has done that at the federal level.

Some states have done in the South.

The right way is to do this as a >> Do you still have the rumor control page on your One of our most popular place.

Well, and I do if it made voters, viewers haven't gone you have it in big, bold letters.

When you visit the site.

Truth with these great little check marks off liking them.

And you say pointedly Kentucky, the election officials have not engaged in voter suppression and Kentuckians are not disenfranchised.

It has been updated I don't think it's been updated since November.

Is this your attempt to kind of clapped back at some of that criticism, perhaps from members who sympathize with the Republican Party who ardently always expressing there are concerns that the election was stolen and touting what many people call the big lie?

>> Well, I find that there are 3 categories of people and I've seen polling to back this up to the people that are pretty happy with how things went to Disney.

The candidates won, but they trust the process.

There are people that you just simply cannot reason with that.

No matter what you say and what faction provide the they'll be contrary and regardless and then there's a huge swath of the middle.

And they just on the hood of belief because they hear it from both sides.

Those people are my audience.

Those people I'm trying to show they were running a legitimate process.

Yeah.

>> Do you think that's going to hurt you when I first of all, do you intend on running for reelection in 2023?

I expect that I I the things final until the filing deadline closes in my office next January.

I have some other to look at.

>> Most likely I'll be doing this again.

>> So some other options that you're looking at, what are the options?

Would there be?

>> will if the attorney general runs for reelection.

I certainly hope that he will.

He's an outstanding job if he chooses to vacate the seat and run for a higher office >> Interesting have to keep our eyes.

This is a big week for news about Republicans who are announcing their intentions to run for office.

And so and there are a lot of the constitutional officers are term limited and they're timed out.

So to be interesting to see who falls let's also talk a little bit about the poll worker You said earlier 15,000 across the state are needed.

What's the number?

Are we anywhere close to that and and how are you hoping to bid to boost those numbers?

>> Well, we have tried to take a two-part solution to this.

And I always like to remind folks watching a program that I was left in 2019.

I was asked to testify the legislature about my vision for the job and this is in November of 2019 before you ever heard of Coronavirus, I testified then that we have crisis spring with our poll workers, younger people every day just wide 65 maybe This is a this is not just about poll workers.

This is a larger problem in our society that older people have a community mindset and they give back and younger people.

Unfortunately, my generation of Gen X or we've not lived up to that so we've done 2 things to try to fix this problem.

One is we've used our office to promote a recruiting a poll workers.

from other partnerships with private organizations.

We try to encourage the private sector 2 lets her employees off with pay to go be poll workers to help our democracy.

So part of this is a supply issue part.

This is a demand issue.

We've also put into state law the ability for counties to do vote centers which enables them to have actually better accessibility with locations that are more ADA compliant and a better fit.

The commuting patterns of their residents in their counties, but also require fewer machines.

If your poll workers.

So you can consolidate precincts together with the same number of workers, but maybe 3 precincts and one we found this is really popular with voters in 2020 was way more convenient for them than 18 91 model which was designed and people running a horse to go vote >> absolutely.

Absolutely.

So when you look at the reform efforts that have passed and what you would like to see where the bills that passed this time where they left off.

Where would you like to go in the next legislative session is extended hours of or early days of voting.

What do you think of lowering the age to 6 staying?

I know one of your will call him is a big proponent of doing that.

>> Well, the first thing I want to do is see how this year I'm excited to be able to provide this to This is really, really a great accomplishment, I for our state.

But it's new.

And when things change, there's room for air.

And so I want to watch and see.

Are there mistakes or other problems?

I want to see how much people utilize the days that we provided and see if those days are If we have widespread use of early voting in the lines are long and we need longer hours and more days.

I want to know if we have lines on election day DOT withstanding the early voting days, if we need more hours of Election Day, I want to know that.

So this is a opportunity for me to study what happens in our primary or general.

I'm not ready to commit to any particular things at this time.

>> And perhaps this isn't the year to do it where voter turnout may be lower because of lower interest.

But next when you will be on the ballot with others that there there might be a better litmus test for for all of that.

>> Are it all entertained?

The notion of lowering.

>> The voting age to 16, which Joshua Douglas, who's a UK law elections expert.

His is touted.

>> That's not really something that's a pretty for me.

I've got about 100 other things are more Jordan.

When you talk about the fact that older Kentucky ends aren't engaged in the process and they're volunteering, would that not be a viable option if if you have younger folks are able to vote than thereby they might become volunteers to replace older.

One little will in theory in theory.

But the pattern you see of volunteering, you also see with voting young voters.

>> Don't vote.

They sometimes register, but they don't actually show up most of the time.

And so I don't have that would be the best solution is to get more registrants.

>> I do want to talk about since you mentioned it, voter registration number.

So we know that Republicans have been making gains, particularly in the western part of it.

There's a professor there at and Murray State University and I can remember them with a book about used to be the Democrats, the the rock of Gibraltar right and that those the shifts in registration words, almost one to one.

I mean, what have you seen in your time that showing that either independent or unaffiliated is rising and Republicans are rising and Democrats are losing out.

>> We put out a statement the last Friday of every month.

So it's cyclical.

And what we had our last report was ugly.

45.4% of registered voters are Democrats.

44.9% are Republicans.

So it's a half point difference.

It's about 20,000 rich voters, the fastest growing group or independents consistently.

They have the highest each month as people sort of pull away from both of the 2 parties.

What a lot to remind Republican is folks.

We're we're now at parity with Democrats almost, but we're not the majority.

Really 45% at best.

If we look at the independents to vote for candidates were going to so let's make sure that we are appealing to other people be on or a little echo chamber.

>> We do know that voter performance has been left leaning heavily tracks going all the way to the I want to the bottom of the ballot.

But a local races.

We know that elected county judge, executive cetera, mean 70 80% of those are register Republican.

So certainly there is a way that seems to be consistent and sustaining.

>> Yeah, and I think it's really important for voters to vote in this election for this reason.

People come out of the woodwork to vote for president.

That's great.

But from president too.

But people skip the midterm elections frequently that got it Your mayor is your county.

Judge executive is your city council.

All that matters.

Way more to your daily life for quality of life.

And the president is and in many of our counties, they're very red or very blue counties with the primary is the general.

So it's really important in this primary.

>> So what is the secretary of state's office doing to promote civic literacy?

>> Well, actually, I'm the weather guy was on a conference call on this very subject.

We're putting together something that that was introduced by Allison Lundergan Grimes, a Civic Health initiative, an index, if you will.

She used to assess things that were important to her and to push certain policy ideas.

I'm taking a little different direction minds in the focus on a few different things of importance to me.

One is a big literacy.

What people know voters know about the public officials about the government about who does what I get so many emails about the pensions or CRT like people to know who does what so they can hold us accountable.

Better right.

Also on this study, how subject people or to misinformation and come up with better ways to encourage them to find the right sources that are trustworthy, not just elections with public health and everything else.

And last one with the polarization.

This is not you need to Kentucky where America with Western Hemisphere, but I want to see this ending that we can do at the state level to address poor station.

>> Our members of your party also interested in and trying to do something about polarization to be a part of the solution and not exacerbate the problem.

You know, I don't know.

That's a that's a good question.

Us early about me running for office.

I would love to be governor, but I have to be convinced that there's enough Republicans to vote for a candidate that wants to transcend that divide and reach out to the other side of the really sure that there are I could be wrong.

That's a good question.

I think for a lot of Republicans as what are you going to help us?

Keep line.

It's getting pretty toxic out there.

It's dangerous right?

>> Redistricting, of course, exacerbates the problem.

Polarization.

Do you care to comment on that?

I'm not sure.

I agree with that.

The polarization has to be in the statewide races more than local races.

>> And the map to let and 75 House members for the Republicans was written by Greg Stumbo.

So I think this kind of oversold as being responsible for this interesting.

>> Do you think that gerrymandering is an issue?

>> Not really.

I mean, it's a it's a constitutional issue.

And in our state and says my position in litigation right staying consistent with that.

Absolutely.

>> Well, I think it's very interesting about the whole civic approach that are taken.

We know that Secretary Trey Grayson who preceded Alison Lundergan Grimes also committed to that it I think would be great if people on both sides where to find some some happy Pepe ground.

Happy medium not have.

So yeah.

Are you optimistic that at all?

Are you optimistic that there can be a a nice temperature of the porridge when it comes to?

>> No, I I would question about everything in our state.

But this this too we've had prior areas of polarization, America, my gosh, the civil War right?

You tend to have these populous flare ups every quarter century or so.

People get really divided, really angry.

And this violence and then they subside.

I grew up in the 80's.

The 80's was an air of consensus were less.

I miss the 60's and the 70's.

I was too young for that.

And so I kind of grew up in an era of of a consensus in the 80's 90's into thousands.

And so this current polarization is very odd to me.

It just happens to be firm when I was born.

And when I grow up, I think it's going up today.

They see this the biggest normal.

I hope my daughter in 10 years.

Maybe we'll see that.

We go back to a time like we had the 80's and 90's.

Yeah.

>> Well, thank you, Mister Secretary for being with us.

We'll keep eyes on your intentions and your announcements to come.

Thank you.

And thank you for what you're doing to help inform the state about civic literacy.

Thank you for watching connections today.

You can follow us on Facebook on Twitter.

You can watch previous programs at KITV DOT Org, slash connections.

Listen to podcast at the same address Slash podcast.

And you can always follow me on Instagram and other platforms on social media once again.

Make sure you vote on the May 17th primary and thereafter until I see you