Dedicated public webpage to show county-by-county hotline reports
FRANKFORT, KY. (Oct. 30, 2018) – Attorney General Andy Beshear is asking Kentuckians to call his office’s Election Law Violations Hotline to report violations of Kentucky’s election laws.
As voters prepare to head to the polls, Beshear said the Office of the Attorney General’s hotline – 800-328-VOTE (8683) – is available during regular business hours and open from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. (Eastern time) on Election Day, Nov. 6, 2018.
“Kentuckians who witnesses election irregularities or possible election law violations should contact our office immediately,” Beshear said. “If you see something, say something. It only takes a call to my office to obtain assistance and each report receives a careful review from an investigator.”
By law, Beshear’s office has jurisdiction to investigate and prosecute election law violations.
On Election Day, investigators from the Attorney General’s Office are located throughout the state and can immediately respond to complaints.
Beshear’s office coordinates election monitoring with the State Board of Elections, Secretary of State’s Office, Kentucky State Police, U.S. Attorney’s Office and the FBI, and Beshear’s staff reviews complaints and, when appropriate, refers them for further action.
Beshear’s office will provide public hotline updates during Tuesday’s election via a dedicated webpage – ag.ky.gov and through social media @kyoag on Twitter and Facebook.
The updates will include the number and types of complaints received on the hotline leading up to Tuesday’s General Election.
The Office of the Attorney General, by law, cannot provide details regarding specific complaints or possible pending investigations.
Beshear also reminds Kentuckians to be wary of voter registration and absentee ballot voting scams, which have been reported throughout the country.
Beshear issued a scam alert in October to help Kentuckians avoid providing their personal information over the phone to a scammer who claims he or she can help Kentuckians register to vote or vote by absentee ballot.
Beshear said Kentuckians cannot register to vote over the phone and that the deadline to register to vote in Kentucky for the Nov. 6, 2018, election was Oct. 9.
For future election cycles, Beshear urges Kentuckians to visit the Kentucky State Board of Elections website for systematic instructions and registration options, including submitting a form online, through the mail or in person at a county clerk’s office.
If eligible, Kentuckians may cast an absentee ballot by mail or in the county clerk’s office before Election Day. According to the state’s website, absentee ballots can only be obtained by contacting the county clerk’s office.
If Kentuckians are receiving these scam calls, they should report them to Beshear’s office via an online form.
Beshear noted that members of the news media covering the election may be in the voting room for the limited purpose of filming the voting process. However, per OAG 88-76, the media may not conduct interviews with voters inside the voting room, record the identity of voters or disrupt the voting process. See KRS 117.236.