Kentucky Gov. Matt Bevin won't concede the election. What happens next?
BY DANIEL DESROCHERS
NOVEMBER 06, 2019 10:54 AM, UPDATED 48 MINUTES AGO
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I think the count is close enough that his team is going to look into if theres anything they can use to contest the election, said Josh Douglas, an elections law professor at the University of Kentucky. The fact that he refused to concede tonight wasnt surprising given the small lead Beshear had.
The next step in the process would be a recanvass, which is basically a check to make sure the vote totals from each machine in every county were accurately recorded. Bevin has seven days after the election, until November 12, to request a recanvass. ... Its extremely unlikely a recanvass would change vote totals by more than a few votes. ... Recanvasses hardly ever shift vote totals, Douglas said. Youre talking about maybe a couple of votes statewide.
After a recanvass, things get more complicated quickly. The State Board of Elections has until November 25th to certify the election, basically declaring that the results in all 120 counties are accurate. If Beshear is the winner when they certify the results, he can be inaugurated as the 63rd governor of Kentucky on Dec. 10. ... Section 73 of the Kentucky Constitution says the inauguration of a governor must take place on the fifth Tuesday following the election.
That doesnt mean Bevin cant still challenge the results. According to state law, he would have 30 days after the election is certified to file an election contest with the Kentucky General Assembly. In order to seek a recount of votes, Bevin would have to contest the election. ... If he contests the election, lawmakers would form a committee of 11 randomly selected members of the General Assembly eight from the House of Representatives and three from the Senate. The committee could take depositions, order a recount of votes, and make a recommendation to the full legislature.
The General Assembly would then sit in a joint session and decide the outcome. If lawmakers decided to vacate the election after Beshear is inaugurated, it would create a vacancy in the governors office that would either be filled by Senate President Robert Stivers if the Senate is in session or Attorney General-elect Daniel Cameron if it is not, according to Douglas.
Election contests in the governors race are extremely rare. The last one was in 1899, when Democrat William Goebel won the election over Republican William S. Taylor because the General Assembly invalidated enough Republican votes to give Goebel the office.
Goebel was assassinated days later.
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DBoon
(22,338 posts)A temper tantrum by a loser doe not invalidate election results certified by the Secretary of State.
customerserviceguy
(25,183 posts)to order a recount. Maybe even it can be done by hand, but shouldn't take more than a week.
I participated in the 2004 recount vote for governor in Washington State. The county auditor told me it might take a few days, but it only took the major part of one day. My group found an extra vote for the Democratic candidate that the machine had missed.
lagomorph777
(30,613 posts)Looks like a bit of a Russiapublican miscalculation there.
customerserviceguy
(25,183 posts)the sum of precinct totals, but I guess that's about it. One thing I haven't heard mention of are absentee or military ballots.
lagomorph777
(30,613 posts)That's not a recount.
California_Republic
(1,826 posts)Theres no legal requirement to concede
The new governor is the new governor
sandensea
(21,595 posts)And I for one would love to see Bevin dragged from the governor's mansion, kicking and screaming, by the ears.
lagomorph777
(30,613 posts)sandensea
(21,595 posts)If they can find it!
kickitup
(355 posts)He is a despised governor and I have watched my conservative friends and neighbors twist themselves into knots as they reasoned out why they should vote for the Democrat instead. If the General Assembly discounted their voting process I think some of them would take guns and march on Frankfort.
I am not kidding. These people are mad as hell over how Bevin treated the teachers because everybody here has at least one teacher in their family.
MosheFeingold
(3,051 posts)And the attorney general elect will be governor.
kimbutgar
(21,040 posts)Beshear should point out that bevin a sore loser.
He lost get over it because you can bet that Bevin would tell Beshear that if he lost.