Governor Matt Bevin has filed a formal request for a recanvass of Tuesday’s election results, but is also saying that “irregularities” in the election itself need to be investigated.
Bevin filed the recanvass request with Secretary of State Grimes, as required. She later announced that the recanvass will take place on November 14 at 9 AM.
At a press conference Wednesday afternoon, Bevin noted he had requested the recanvass. He went on, though, to talk about alleged issues in the election process itself.
As reported by Politico, Bevin said there were “thousands of absentee ballots that were illegally counted,” reports of voters being “incorrectly turned away” from polling places and “a number of machines that didn’t work properly.”
“We simply want to ensure that there is integrity in the process,” Bevin said at the close of his statement. “We owe this to the people of Kentucky.” He then left without taking questions, even as reporters shouted questions to him.
Since this is a gubernatorial election, there is no recount process. Instead, the next step after a recanvass is a “contested election” – a challenge filed with the state legislature.
A number of persons, including some Republicans, have called on Governor Bevin to accept the results of the election. Rep. Jason Nemes posted the following on Facebook:
Loser’s consent is a core principle of democracy. The winning candidate is entitled to govern with the recognition of others who ran and lost, no matter how painful that may be.
This was a close election, and a recanvass may be appropriate. I am told that can be done within a week. Let’s get that done immediately. And if there is evidence of fraud or illegalities, as was alluded to last night, Governor Bevin should state his claim immediately and let the evidence be reviewed. But this is not an opportunity for a fishing expedition or a chance to overturn the election result.
Governor-elect Beshear is entitled to the democratic legitimacy that comes with loser’s consent. So let’s go through the process honorably and expeditiously and give it to him.
And Josh Douglas, election law and voting rights professor at the University of Kentucky College of Law, posted these comments:
It is dangerous for democracy for Bevin and his campaign to claim "voting irregularities" without providing any evidence whatsoever. He must explain these alleged reports immediately. #KYGov https://t.co/N4OVlfYZ9x
— Josh Douglas (@JoshuaADouglas) November 6, 2019
In the strongest terms possible, I call on @MattBevin to put up or shut up: provide actual evidence of this supposed voter fraud/election irregularities or stop making unsubstantiated claims. It is dangerous to democracy to undermine the public’s faith in our elections.
— Josh Douglas (@JoshuaADouglas) November 6, 2019
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