Bevin cites 'irregularities' in asking for Kentucky recanvass

Matt Bevin isn’t going quietly.

Kentucky’s Republican governor is broadly casting doubt on the outcomes of Tuesday's election, with the unofficial tally displaying him trailing Democrat Andy Beshear by simply over 5,000 votes, or about four-tenths of a proportion point.

Speaking earlier than reporters Wednesday night time in Frankfort, the state capital, Bevin stated his campaign can be looking for an official recanvass of the outcomes — however additionally it is compiling proof of “irregularities” in the voting process to be investigated.

“What we all know is that there actually are various irregularities,” he stated, including that “there’s greater than a little little bit of historical past of vote fraud in our state.”

Without providing details, Bevin cited “hundreds of absentee ballots that have been illegally counted,” stories of voters being “incorrectly turned away” from polling places and “a quantity of machines that didn’t work properly.” He stated his campaign would offer more info as it is gathered, and he didn't take questions from reporters.

"We simply need to ensure that there is integrity in the process," Bevin stated on the shut of his assertion. "We owe this to the individuals of Kentucky."

Beshear, who declared victory Tuesday night time, is keen to maneuver on and seal his lead within the vote rely. At a Wednesday morning press convention in Louisville, where both candidates spent election night time, Beshear stated he was formally launching his transition group, with solely a few month to go till the scheduled Dec. 10 inauguration.

“We’re confident in the end result of the election, however at present is about shifting ahead,” Beshear stated. “The election is over. Nobody else is going to forged a vote. It ended final night time.”

The Associated Press has declined to name the competition, citing the relatively tight margin and Bevin’s protest.

The recanvass means Kentucky's 120 counties will verify their voting machines and absentee ballots to ensure they have been counted appropriately, however they won't look at individual ballots. Secretary of State Alison Lundergan Grimes stated the recanvass might be carried out on Nov. 14.

In his feedback to reporters, Bevin additionally criticized Grimes for her position as the state’s prime elections official. He was specifically bothered by Grimes telling CNN Tuesday night time that Beshear had gained the race and cited quite a few scandals surrounding the outgoing Democratic officeholder, including the conviction of her father, Democratic powerbroker Jerry Lundergan, for illegally funding Grimes’ 2014 Senate marketing campaign towards Sen. Mitch McConnell.

“This can be a household and an office which were very corrupt,” Bevin stated.

The gubernatorial recanvass would be the first statewide audit in more than three years. Within the 2016 Democratic presidential main, Hillary Clinton led Bernie Sanders by 1,924 votes after the preliminary rely. The state-paid recanvass didn’t change the totals for any of the candidates by even a single vote.

If Bevin decides to seek a recount, he would have to pay for it. As of Oct. 21 — the final report filed with the state’s Registry of Election Finance — his marketing campaign still had $846,000 in cash on hand, though it probably used much of that on TV advertising and other campaign operations in the closing weeks of the race.

There is a nuclear choice for Bevin. As all the votes have been counted Tuesday night time, a outstanding Kentucky Republican was reportedly floating the likelihood that — ought to Bevin exhaust his options with the election authorities — the governor might contest the end result with the state legislature, which is managed by Republicans and will overrule the final vote rely.

“There’s lower than one-half of 1 %, as I perceive, separating the governor and [Beshear],” state Senate President Robert Stivers informed the Louisville Courier Journal. “We'll comply with the letter of the regulation and what numerous processes determine.”

Article originally revealed on POLITICO Magazine

Src: Bevin cites 'irregularities' in asking for Kentucky recanvass
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