A hotline operated by the Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron’s office will be fully staffed on primary election day to take complaints of potential election law violations. Alex Garcia, an assistant attorney general with the state Attorney General’s office, says every tip is investigated.
That includes things like electioneering, poll disruption, bribery and election fraud.
“A tip will come in, our attorneys here at the special prosecution division will review those tips and if a further investigation needs to occur, we’ll refer those to our department of criminal investigation,” Garcia said. “Those tips move pretty quickly through the system.”
Garcia said the hotline is operated throughout the year, and people can leave a message.
“They are reviewed by our attorneys here in the office, and then if need be they are referred to our department of criminal investigations,” Garcia said.
Complaints are recorded and updated daily on the attorney general’s website.
Josh Douglas is law professor at the University of Kentucky who focuses on voting rights. He says the Kentucky Attorney General’s office routinely sets up an election fraud tip line before an election.
Douglas says the hotline usually receives a handful of complaints. But election fraud is rare.
“Election fraud by some sort of operative, it happens occasionally. But it's extremely rare,” Douglas said. “Voter fraud done by voters themselves almost never happens…is basically non-existent.”
Douglas says the hotline is a good thing as long as it’s not affecting people’s ability to vote.
“It's not a bad thing for agencies to be coordinating their efforts to watch the integrity of the system,” he said. “Hopefully that helps Kentuckians understand, especially in this current political environment where you had continued lies about the 2020 election on the national level, to have Kentuckians feel more secure that people are watching and the votes are going to be secured, the results are going to be accurate.”
Garcia says the tip line will be staffed from 6 am until 7 pm on election day with both staff and attorneys taking complaints. The number for the Attorney General’s Election Fraud Hotline is 1-800-328-VOTE.
