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

To view more headlines or archived press releases, use the green navigation options on the left.

• Secretary of State's Office Closed May 27 in Observance of Memorial Day
  Thursday, May 23, 2013
  The Secretary of State’s office will be closed Monday, May 27th, in observance of Memorial Day. The office will reopen for normal business hours, 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., EST, on Tuesday, May 28th.
• Secretary Grimes Recognized for Advocacy for Individuals with Disabilities
  Tuesday, May 14, 2013
  On Tuesday, May 14, 2013, Secretary of State Alison Lundergan Grimes received the Kentucky Rehabilitation Association’s Gerald N. Williams Accessibility award in recognition of her efforts to ensure accessible opportunities for individuals with disabilities to exercise their right to vote. The award is given annually to an individual, business or organization that has demonstrated leadership in removing environmental and legal barriers and overcoming discrimination against persons with disabilities.
• Grimes Presents Award to Northern Middle School Student
  Tuesday, May 07, 2013
  On May 7, 2013, Secretary of State Alison Lundergan Grimes presented a $600 cash prize to Victoria Kelly Brunson, a seventh-grade student at Northern Middle School in Pulaski County, for winning second 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.
• Grimes Gets Public Input on Early Voting
  Wednesday, May 01, 2013
  On April 30, 2013, Secretary of State Alison Lundergan Grimes kicked off a statewide series of five town hall meetings to review and recommend improvements to Kentucky’s election laws with a forum at Morgan County High School in West Liberty.
• Grimes Announces Special Election for State Representative, 56th District
  Friday, April 26, 2013
  Alison Lundergan Grimes, Kentucky’s Secretary of State and Chief Election Official, announced that a special election will be held on June 25, 2013, to fill the vacancy in the office of State Representative, 56th Representative District. The 56th District is comprised of Woodford County and parts of Fayette and Franklin Counties.
• Secretary Grimes Recognizes Students for Civic Achievements
  Thursday, April 25, 2013
  On April 25, 2013, following the 13th in a statewide series of panel discussions to promote civic engagement in Kentucky, Secretary of State Alison Lundergan Grimes recognized teams participating in the Students Transforming Appalachia with Real Solutions (STARS) Challenge and a Harlan County student for their commitment to civic engagement.
• Grimes Presents Award to Olmsted Academy South Student
  Tuesday, April 23, 2013
  Today, Secretary of State Alison Lundergan Grimes presented a $400 cash prize to Tiarra Adkins, a sixth-grade student at Oldham Academy South in Jefferson County, 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.
• Secretary Grimes' Efforts to Protect Military Voters Signed Into Law
  Tuesday, April 23, 2013
  Secretary of State Alison Lundergan Grimes’ initiatives to protect military and overseas voters’ voting rights were signed into law on April 5, 2013, followed by a ceremony recognizing the bill’s passage on April 23, 2013.
• Secretary Grimes Appoints New Executive Director to Office of Business
  Thursday, April 18, 2013
  Secretary of State Alison Lundergan Grimes recently appointed Robert M. Haynes as Executive Director of the Office of Business. Haynes will oversee business filings and manage the office’s online business services, issuing and authenticating business records and maintaining UCC finance statements. He will also attend to legislative initiatives related to business entities.
• Secretary Grimes and Secretary Flanery Announce Business One Stop Personnel
  Thursday, April 11, 2013
  Secretary of State Alison Lundergan Grimes recently announced that Noel Caldwell has been named Executive Director of the Kentucky One Stop Business Portal. The Portal was established by the General Assembly in 2010 to provide a single, unified point of entry for business owners and their delegates. Grimes, along with the Finance and Economic Development Cabinets and the Commonwealth Office of Technology, is working to improve and expand the Portal.
• Grimes Presents Award to Muhlenberg County Middle School Student
  Wednesday, April 10, 2013
  On April 9, 2013, Secretary of State Alison Lundergan Grimes presented a $1,000 cash prize to Kassidy Cobb, a sixth-grade home school student in Muhlenberg 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.
• Secretary Grimes Advances Kentucky's Economic Development Efforts
  Tuesday, April 09, 2013
  Secretary of State Alison Lundergan Grimes is working to advance Kentucky’s economic development efforts by sharing information about Kentucky, its business climate and economic development opportunities in the state as part of a delegation traveling to Asia. Grimes is one of six secretaries of state selected to participate, and the trip is being coordinated and completely funded by the Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office.
• Secretary Grimes Speaks to Legionnaires Deploying Overseas
  Thursday, March 28, 2013
  On March 27, 2013, Kentucky Secretary of State Alison Lundergan Grimes was privileged to speak to members of the Kentucky American Legion Post 121 who are deploying to Africa, where members of the Kentucky National Guard, 2nd Battalion, 138th Field Artillery, are currently serving. The purpose of the mission is to provide support to returning troops, including information regarding benefits, group memberships and other vital services.
• Secretary Grimes Announces Annual Slogan Contest Winners
  Monday, March 25, 2013
  Three middle school students were voted by the public as having coined the best slogans to promote voting in Kentucky. Kassidy Kobb, a sixth-grade home school student in Muhlenberg County, submitted the winning slogan, “Make a choice. Use your voice. Vote!” For her first-place finish, Kobb will receive a $1,000 cash prize, which will be presented to her at the Civic Health Initiative roundtable at Henderson Community and Technical College on April 9th.
• Grimes' Proposal to Protect Domestic Violence Victims Passed by General Assembly
  Friday, March 08, 2013
  On March 7, 2013, the Senate unanimously passed legislation supported by Secretary of State Alison Lundergan Grimes’ to allow victims of domestic violence to have their information redacted from publicly available voter registration records. The measure was previously approved 93-0 by the House and will now be submitted for the Governor’s signature.
• Grimes Recognizes Kentucky's Civic Education Leaders
  Friday, March 08, 2013
  Today, at the 2013 PNC/KHSAA Boys’ Sweet Sixteen State Basketball Tournament, Secretary of State Alison Lundergan Grimes recognized nine Kentucky educators and community leaders for their work to promote civic education across the Commonwealth.
• Grimes Recognizes 24th Annual Essay Contest Winners
  Friday, March 08, 2013
  Today, at the 2013 PNC/KHSAA Boys’ Sweet Sixteen State Basketball Tournament, Secretary of State Alison Lundergan Grimes recognized four Kentucky high school students for winning the 24th annual Essay Contest in their respective grades: • Megan Theresa Beischel – 12th Grade (Notre Dame Academy) • Michael John Jarvi – 11th Grade (Christian Academy of Louisville) • Madison Hope Vaughn – 10th Grade (Marshall County High School) • Kelsey Cole – 9th Grade (Magoffin County High School)
• Grimes Makes Occupational License Tax Forms Available Online
  Thursday, March 07, 2013
  Secretary of State Alison Lundergan Grimes announced today that entities doing business in Kentucky can now access online occupational license tax forms for each Kentucky jurisdiction that imposes such a tax.
• Grimes' Efforts to Prevent Vote Fraud Unanimously Passed by House
  Wednesday, February 27, 2013
  On February 22, 2013, the House of Representatives unanimously passed legislation that would adopt Secretary of State Alison Lundergan Grimes’ recommendation to keep confidential until after Election Day the identities of absentee voters. House Bill 203, sponsored by Rep. Darryl Owens (D-Louisville) helps to maintain the integrity of elections by protecting absentee voters from groups seeking to influence their votes. Sens. Chris Girdler (R-Somerset) and John Schickel (R-Union), a retired law enforcement officer, will carry the bill in the Senate.
• Secretary Grimes' Fight for Military Voters Heads to House
  Tuesday, February 26, 2013
  Today, the state Senate voted 37-0 to approve Senate Bill 1, which is based on Secretary of State Alison Lundergan Grimes’ recommendations to protect military and overseas citizens’ voting rights.