Former Kentucky Secretary of State Alison Lundergan Grimes has been cleared of ethics charges accusing her of abusing her access to voter registration data to benefit herself and fellow Democrats. Judge Phillip Shepherd ruled that Grimes legally accessed the data while acting in the scope of her public duties. The State Executive Branch Ethics Commission had ordered a $10,000 fine against Grimes, but the judge’s reversal means she will not have to pay it. Grimes’ attorney said the ruling vindicated her, stating that she should have never been investigated for simply doing her job.
Grimes was a rising political star, having been elected secretary of state in 2011 and launching a high-profile challenge against Republican U.S. Sen. Mitch McConnell in 2014. After being defeated, she won reelection as secretary of state in 2015 when Republicans claimed most statewide offices. The ethics commission accused Grimes of unethical behavior in 2015 and 2016, alleging that she failed to follow government processes in downloading and sharing voter information. However, Judge Shepherd ruled that the allegations were without substantial evidence, noting that there was no law or regulation prohibiting her from accessing or sharing the information.
Republican Michael Adams succeeded Grimes as Kentucky’s secretary of state and made changes to state law in response to the allegations against her. In 2019, the General Assembly limited direct access to the voter file, and Adams’ office has followed the letter and spirit of the law. The judge also ruled that the ethics commission failed to meet the statute of limitations when bringing the claims against Grimes. The commission’s charges followed a 2019 series from the Lexington Herald-Leader and ProPublica, which published stories on Grimes’ conduct as secretary of state.
Grimes was accused by the ethics commission of improperly ordering the downloading and distribution of voter registration data. She was said to have instructed her employees to download voter information onto flash drives while running for reelection and sharing voter registration information for state House districts without following open records rules or collecting fees. However, the judge ruled that the commission’s allegations were arbitrary and lacked substantial evidence. Grimes was found to have done her job within the legal scope of her duties as secretary of state.
Grimes’ attorney, Jon Salomon, stated that the court’s ruling appropriately cleared her of all charges and that she should not have been investigated for simply doing her job. The ethics commission said it is reviewing the matter following the judge’s decision. Grimes had been the state’s chief election official and had twice been elected to the position by Kentucky voters. Despite the accusations against her, the judge ruled that there was no substantive violation of any statute or regulation regarding the integrity of the voting rolls. The ruling marks the end of a long-running investigation into Grimes’ conduct during her time as secretary of state, ultimately finding her not guilty of any unethical behavior.
