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Below you will find a list of recent press releases.  Click on the title to view the full text of the press release.

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• Secretary Grimes Announces State Board of Elections Special Meeting
  Friday, May 18, 2012
  Kentucky’s Secretary of State and Chief Election Official, Alison Lundergan Grimes, announced today that the State Board of Elections will be in session from 6:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. on May 22, 2012, and it will conduct a special board meeting at 1:00 p.m. on that date.
• Grimes Advises Voters of "Do's and Don'ts" for Primary Election
  Friday, May 18, 2012
  With only days left before the May 22, 2012, Primary Election in Kentucky, Secretary of State and Chief Election Official Alison Lundergan Grimes is reminding voters of Election Day “Do’s and Don’ts” that will help avoid surprises and ensure a smooth trip to the polls on Election Day. “Every election matters, and every vote counts,” said Grimes. “I hope providing this information to voters will prepare and encourage them to participate in this election and future elections.”
• Grimes Predicts Low Voter Turnout; Encourages Voters to Make Voices Heard
  Thursday, May 17, 2012
  With fewer than half of the federal and state legislative offices on the ballot in 2012 having primaries, Secretary of State and Chief Election Official Alison Lundergan Grimes predicts statewide voter turnout in the May 22nd Primary Election will be between 10 and 12 percent. “Comparing current absentee voting statistics to information from past presidential election years in which an incumbent has been seeking a second term, it appears turnout will be slightly lower this year,” said Grimes. “But I will continue to use my best efforts to encourage all eligible Kentuckians to exercise the right and fulfill their responsibility to vote, and I hope turnout is actually higher.”
• Grimes Reminds Voters of Races on Primary Ballot
  Wednesday, May 16, 2012
  With Primary Election Day less than one week away, Secretary of State and Chief Election Official Alison Lundergan Grimes urges voters to educate themselves about the candidates for whom they are eligible to vote. “Voting is a responsibility all Kentuckians should take seriously,” said Grimes. “I encourage voters to educate themselves about the candidates and make informed choices on May 22nd.”
• Grimes Urges Voters to Prepare for Primary Election
  Tuesday, May 15, 2012
  Primary Election Day in Kentucky is one week away, and Alison Lundergan Grimes, Secretary of State and the Commonwealth’s Chief Election Official, encourages all registered voters to cast their ballots on Tuesday, May 22, 2012. Grimes is also reminding voters to plan ahead for visiting their polling places.
• Secretary Grimes Recognizes Organizers of Tornado-Relief Book Drive
  Monday, May 14, 2012
  On May 9, 2012, Secretary of State Alison Lundergan Grimes recognized Rockcastle County High School student McKinzii Todd and FRYSC/AmeriCorps volunteer Johnna Abney for coordinating a book drive to benefit West Liberty in the wake of the March 2 tornadoes that devastated the Eastern Kentucky town. At the Rockcastle UNITE Coalition’s monthly Board meeting, Grimes honored Todd with a commission as a Commonwealth’s Ambassador and named Abney a Kentucky Colonel. The school’s social studies classes and many members of the UNITE Club and Student YMCA were also on-hand to show their appreciation for Todd and Abney’s selfless contribution to the tornado relief effort.
• Online Resources Available to Voters
  Monday, May 14, 2012
  Secretary of State Alison Lundergan Grimes encourages Kentucky voters to take advantage of online services available to help them prepare for the May 22nd Primary Election. Through the State Board of Elections' website, citizens can verify their polling place and the races in which they are eligible to vote. Candidate information is available on the Secretary of State’s website.
• Northern Middle School Student Receives Award for Voting Slogan
  Thursday, May 10, 2012
  On May 9, 2012, Secretary of State Alison Lundergan Grimes presented a $500 cash award to Mackenzie Brunson, a sixth-grader at Northern Middle School in Pulaski County, for winning first place in Grimes’ office’s annual slogan contest. The slogan contest was created in 1988 to inspire students to be active and informed citizens, with particular emphasis on election-related issues.
• New Voter Registration Record Set
  Wednesday, May 09, 2012
  More Kentuckians than ever will appear on the voter rolls in the May 22nd Primary Election, announces Secretary of State Alison Lundergan Grimes. The total number of registered voters – 2,980,009 – beats the previous record of 2,944,603, set during the 2011 General Election, by more than 35,000 voters. There has been an increase of more than 100,000 registered voters since the last Presidential Preference Primary, in 2008, at which time 2,857,231 citizens were registered.
• Conway and Grimes Combine Forces to Protect Election Integrity
  Tuesday, May 08, 2012
  Attorney General Jack Conway, the state’s chief law enforcement official, and Secretary of State Alison Lundergan Grimes, Kentucky’s Chief Election Official, are joining forces to prevent vote fraud in the May 22nd Primary Election. Today, members of the Kentucky Election Integrity Task Force, headed by Conway and Grimes, met in the State Capitol to coordinate efforts to protect the integrity of the election. Because there are federal races on the ballot, General Conway and Secretary Grimes are proud to have the United States Attorney’s offices in the Eastern and Western Districts of Kentucky as members of the task force.
• Precinct Election Officers Needed Across the State
  Tuesday, May 01, 2012
  Secretary of State and Chief Election Officer Alison Lundergan Grimes encourages citizens to take an active role in the May 22 Primary Election by signing up to serve as precinct election officers, or poll workers. “Serving the Commonwealth as a precinct election officer is both valuable to the election process and personally rewarding,” said Grimes. “Precinct officers make our democratic system work, and this is an excellent opportunity to participate in shaping the future of your community and state.”
• Secretary of State Encourages Kentuckians to Honor Veterans
  Thursday, April 26, 2012
  Secretary of State Alison Lundergan Grimes is encouraging Kentucky residents to take advantage of special opportunities to honor our nation’s veterans. “Remembering and paying tribute to those who risk their lives to protect us is important,” said Grimes, the Commonwealth’s Chief Election Official and chief advocate for civic engagement. “We must strive every day to repay the great debt of gratitude we owe them.”
• Absentee Voting for Primary Election is Open
  Tuesday, April 24, 2012
  Through provisions in Kentucky law that permit certain voters to cast absentee ballots prior to Election Day, voters across Kentucky are already heading to the polls, either in person or by mail.
• Union County Middle School Student Receives Award for Voting Slogan
  Tuesday, April 24, 2012
  On April 20, 2012, Secretary of State Alison Lundergan Grimes presented a $200 cash award to Melody Decker, an eighth-grader at Union County Middle School in Morganfield, for winning third place in Grimes’ office’s annual slogan contest. The slogan contest was created in 1988 to inspire students to be active and informed citizens, with particular emphasis on election-related issues.
• Benton Middle School Student Receives Award for Voting Slogan
  Tuesday, April 24, 2012
  On April 20, 2012, Secretary of State Alison Lundergan Grimes presented a $300 cash award to Tyler Lawrence, a seventh-grader at Benton Middle School in Marshall County, for winning second place in her office’s annual slogan contest. The slogan contest was created in 1988 to inspire students to be active and informed citizens, with particular emphasis on election-related issues.
• Secretary of State to Establish Mobile Field Office in Eastern Kentucky
  Thursday, April 19, 2012
  During the week of April 23, Secretary of State Alison Lundergan Grimes and members of her business filings and elections staff will operate a mobile field office in counties affected by the March 2 tornado outbreak. Last month Grimes, along with Maryellen Allen, Executive Director of the State Board of Elections, and Noel Caldwell, Director of Business Filings, traveled to the area to deliver donated supplies and meet with county officials and business owners. During the extended return trip, Grimes will set up a mobile field office in Morgan and Magoffin counties, which will provide on-site business services and election information.
• Voter Registration Deadline Approaching
  Friday, March 30, 2012
  The deadline to register to vote in the upcoming May 22 Primary is Monday, April 23. County clerks’ offices throughout Kentucky will accept voter registration cards until the close of business on that date. Mail-in voter registration applications must be postmarked by April 23.
• Press Release: Grimes-Backed Election Bill, The Dewayne Bunch Act, Signed Into Law
  Wednesday, March 28, 2012
  Today, Governor Steve Beshear signed into law House Bill 293, the Dewayne Bunch Act. Secretary of State Alison Lundergan Grimes, the state’s Chief Election Official and Chair of the State Board of Elections, advocated in favor of the Act, which saves Kentucky taxpayers money with respect to special elections in which only one candidate seeks office. Rep. Darryl T. Owens, Chairman of the House Standing Committee on Elections, Constitutional Amendments, and Intergovernmental Affairs, sponsored the bill, and both the House and Senate unanimously approved it.
• Deadline for Independent Candidates to File is April 2, 2012
  Wednesday, March 28, 2012
  Pursuant to KRS 118.365(5) and KRS 118.367, individuals seeking to run as an independent, political organization or political group candidate for certain partisan offices must file their Statement-of-Candidacy forms no later than Monday, April 2, 2012, at 4 p.m. (Eastern Time) in order to be placed on the ballot for the November general election. There is no fee to file a Statement of Candidacy. Candidates for federal offices, nonpartisan offices, and partisan city offices of cities of the second to sixth classes are exempt from this requirement.
• Middle School Students Coin Voting Slogans
  Friday, March 23, 2012
  Three middle school students were voted by the public as having coined the best slogans to promote voting in Kentucky. Mackenzie F. Brunson, a sixth-grade student at Northern Middle School in Pulaski County garnered nearly 75% of the votes for her winning slogan, “Voting! Kentucky’s fuel of democracy.” Brunson will receive a $500 cash prize for her first-place finish. Second place and a $300 award went to Tyler Lawrence, a seventh-grader at Benton Middle School in Marshall County, for the slogan, “Drop the remote, put on your coat and go vote!” Melody Decker, who is in the eighth grade at Union County Middle School in Morganfield, won third place and a $200 prize for her submission: “You determine Kentucky’s future, make the right choice. Vote!”