Election security investment is a national security imperative

by Trey Grayson, Kentucky Lantern
February 12, 2025

Last November, the American people made their voices heard at the ballot box. Up and down the ballot, there was a clear mandate for Republican leadership, especially at the federal level. What was also very clear was that the public servants who ran our elections made sure that voters were safe, the process was secure, and that all eligible voters had the opportunity to cast a ballot.

To make all of that happen, time and resources are required. Election workers spend months preparing for election day — they test voting equipment, hire part-time staff and poll workers, determine polling locations, and so much more. And to do all of this, election workers need to have sufficient funding and resources from the local, state and federal levels.

Federal election funding can be a massive help for local election officials. During the first Trump administration, Congress allocated over $400 million in fiscal 2020 for election security funding. Since then, we have seen a steep decline in federal resources dedicated to safeguarding the security of our elections. In fiscal 2024, only $55 million was allocated for protecting our election infrastructure. 

This decline in federal investment comes while foreign adversaries have sought to interfere with our elections and destabilize our democracy. With these new cybersecurity threats on the rise, we should be investing more in our election security infrastructure, not less. Regular federal support for election workers will go a long way to bolstering our cybersecurity infrastructure and preventing foreign interference in our democracy. 

These federal resources serve other critical functions as well. In addition to boosting our cybersecurity posture, election workers can use federal resources to purchase new equipment, update voter registration systems, provide training to staff and poll workers, and hire additional staff. These additional resources can help jurisdictions count their votes more quickly, so that we don’t have to wait a month to find out who controls the U.S. Congress.

One thing that additional resources will not change: It is up to Kentucky’s – and other state’s — leadership to make decisions about how these resources are spent. 

As Congress returns its focus to finalizing the fiscal 2025 budget, I urge my fellow Republicans to appropriate $75 million in election funding, the level of investment unanimously advanced by the Senate Appropriations Committee last year. As they did during the first Trump administration, Republican leaders in both chambers should continue to advocate for this funding and show that securing our election infrastructure is a top issue.

As the former secretary of state in Kentucky who is still very involved in elections administration, I am keenly aware of the hard work, effort, and resources that go into running safe and secure elections. As the threats against our democracy become more frequent and sophisticated, Congress must provide the necessary resources to combat these challenges. And with new Republican leadership, now is the time to pass $75 million in election security grants.

Kentucky Lantern is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Kentucky Lantern maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Jamie Lucke for questions: info@kentuckylantern.com.

Lawmakers move to ensure info is available to investigate complaints against state cabinet

by Sarah Ladd, Kentucky Lantern
February 11, 2025

After mediation and a judge’s order, Kentucky Auditor Allison Ball says the legislature needs to codify her office’s access to an important database kept by the state Cabinet for Health and Family Services. 

During a Tuesday committee meeting, Ball told lawmakers the cabinet appears to not be  forwarding every complaint it receives about itself to the ombudsman, housed in her office. She said she wants to make sure no complaints are “missing in the process.” 

“Right now, the cabinet is acting as a gatekeeper on those complaints,” Ball said. “We feel like we don’t need a middleman. Things are being dropped in the handoff. So, this will resolve that situation to make sure we have access to all the complaints when they come in.”

A cabinet spokeswoman told the Lantern that the cabinet “is not aware of any complaints being withheld from the Office of the Ombudsman.”

Judge inks ceasefire in state government battle over new ombudsman’s access to information

This comes almost five months after the  Cabinet for Health and Family Services and the office of the ombudsman settled a dispute over access to a computer system called iTWIST, which stores information about abuse and neglect cases. 

The Senate Families and Children Committee unanimously approved Senate Bill 85, which clarifies the ombudsman gets “any software and access rights.” 

Ball’s office assumed oversight of the ombudsman from the cabinet on July 1, thanks to a law enacted in 2023 by the legislature, Senate Bill 48. But her office did not get immediate access to iTWIST. 

The ombudsman, whose job is to investigate and resolve complaints about agencies in the cabinet, including protective services for children and elderly Kentuckians, can’t do that job without access to iTWIST, (the Workers Information System), Ball has said. She eventually filed a lawsuit for the access, and the case was mediated and eventually settled in Franklin Circuit Court. 

“We reached a settlement in that mediation, and we were given access with certain structures in place,” Ball told committee members Tuesday. “We feel like it is now necessary to codify it, make it abundantly clear there’s no possibility of this coming up again, that we have access to iTWIST.” 

The September court order that settled the access dispute said the cabinet would have to provide the ombudsman with read-only access to iTWIST. Judge Phillip Shepherd also said the legislature and the parties would work during the 2025 session to codify any needed clarification. 

A spokeswoman for the auditor said the office “can compare the number of complaints received by the ombudsman before the transition with the current number, which has drastically decreased.” 

“This is due in part to the failure to transfer the previous phone number, resulting in our office not receiving all complaints,” said Joy Pidgorodetska Markland, the auditor’s director of communications. “Upon suspecting complaints were not being forwarded, we used an open records process to request all communications sent to the retained phone number and email and found many un-forwarded complaints.” 

SB 85, sponsored by Sen. Stephen Meredith, R-Leitchfield, has an emergency, meaning it would take effect immediately upon becoming law. 

“This is an emergency because we know this needs to be done right away,” Ball said. “That way we can move forward without any more hang ups and make sure the public is provided everything that they need.” 

Kentucky Lantern is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Kentucky Lantern maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Jamie Lucke for questions: info@kentuckylantern.com.

SUMMARY: The McCracken County Sheriff’s Office is investigating a shooting that injured 30-year-old Damareon Prather in the 5400 block of Lovelaceville Road on February 8. Prather was found with multiple gunshot wounds and was hospitalized for serious injuries. Investigators executed a search warrant at the shooting location, revealing marijuana cultivation, a stolen firearm, and suspected cocaine. Joshua White, 33, was arrested for various charges, including cultivating marijuana. The primary suspect, Aaron Blake Walker, 31, was later located and arrested for first-degree assault along with drug-related charges after law enforcement searched another residence.

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