FRANKLIN COUNTY, Ky. ⁠— A Franklin County lawsuit filed Tuesday calls on Kentucky's election officials to extend no-excuse absentee voting to the November general election. 


What You Need To Know


  • Lawsuit filed this week calls for no-excuse absentee voting in November

  • Names Beshear, Adams, KY Board of Elections as defendants 

  • Also seeks to stop voter ID law from going into effect

The Fair Elections Center, along with the Kentucky Equal Justice Center and Kaplan Johnson Abate & Bird LLP, filed the lawsuit.

"This relief is necessary and appropriate to permit the citizens of the Commonwealth to safely vote for local, state, and national leaders during a pandemic that has required massive changes to their daily lives," states the lawsuit.

The lawsuit names four plaintiffs, all of whom are at risk for serious illness from COVID-19 and will jeopardize their health by voting in person. Defendants include Gov. Andy Beshear (D), Secretary of State Michael Adams (R) and members of the Kentucky Board of Elections.

The lawsuit states that by implementing protections for Kentucky's primary election, the defendants "have conceded the necessity—and proved the viability—of the relief requested."

In addition to coronavirus safeguards, the lawsuit seeks to stop SB 2, Kentucky's new voter ID law, from going into effect. The bill, passed in April after overriding a veto from Beshear, would require in person and absentee voters to have a valid photo ID. 

"Imposing a new voter ID requirement during the Covid-19 pandemic forces Kentucky voters without valid identification to choose between their right to vote and putting their health at risk to attempt to obtain qualifying identification," reads the lawsuit. 

Beshear's office responded to the lawsuit.

"Gov. Beshear has repeatedly said he supports making voting more accessible, which is why he restored voting rights for non-violent felons who have served their time, vetoed the voter ID law that would create more obstacles for people to participate in the democratic process and why he pushed for more options for voters during this pandemic," said a statement released by his office. "Leading up to the primary, Kentuckians were able to utilize no-excuse absentee and early voting making the process safer during the pandemic while increasing voter participation that was our largest primary turnout in 12 years. With the system working well in the primary, Gov. Beshear believes both options should be part of our practice moving forward and enshrined in Kentucky law."

Adams also responded to the lawsuit, saying what happens in November is not in the judiciary's hands.

“This is just another in a series of lawsuits from out-of-state left-wing interest groups who want to rewrite Kentucky’s election code to favor their preferred candidates," said a statement from his office. "Our legislature gave emergency powers over elections to the Secretary of State and the Governor, not to the judiciary, and the decision what the November election will look like will be mine and Governor Beshear’s.”

Spectrum News 1 reached out to the Kentucky Board of Elections for a response and will share when received.