Secretary of State

Alison Lundergan Grimes

Alison Lundergan Grimes was the Commonwealth of Kentucky’s 76th Secretary of State. In her work, she championed the ideal that's at her core: every person deserves a fair shake and an equal chance.

Secretary Grimes was recognized nationally as a leading voice in the fight to protect voting rights, and breaking down barriers to the ballot box. During her tenure, she launched online voter registration (GoVoteKY.com) and led the Commonwealth’s largest statewide voter registration effort. This success resulted in the use of e-poll books which saved the Commonwealth millions while making Election Day more efficient and secure.

After travelling to the Middle East to assess military voting, Secretary Grimes made history in passing Kentucky’s first-ever Military Heroes Voting Bill. By 2019, Over 11,000 military and overseas citizens had used Kentucky’s online military portal which ensures our military and overseas voters timely receive their ballots. Secretary Grimes was a leading partner for victims of domestic violence, she launched Kentucky’s inaugural Address Confidentiality Program, and was steadfast advocate for the restoration of voting rights for non-violent felons who paid their debt to society

As Secretary of State, she grew Kentucky’s economy at home and abroad, with numerous economic development efforts with Taiwan and China. She modernized and streamlined government services to make sure Kentucky’s doors are truly open for small businesses. Her efforts, included a nationally-recognized one-stop business portal and numerous legislative measures that helped veteran owned businesses and nonprofits, helped businesses to spend less time interacting with government and more time creating jobs and giving back to their communities. Nearly 300,000 new businesses were started under Secretary Grimes’ administration.

Governing by example, Secretary Grimes worked hard to ensure “y’all” means Kentucky welcomes all. She attended over 100 naturalization ceremonies, welcoming Kentucky’s newest U.S. citizens and encouraged outreach to Kentucky’s refugee community

As a staunch supporter of public education, Secretary Grimes had an intense focus on driving citizen engagement, including unveiling Kentucky’s first-ever Civic Health Initiative. She’s led the statewide effort to legalize medical marijuana in support of thousands of Kentuckians – especially veterans – who seek an alternative to addictive opioids. And she persisted in the fight to end hunger by educating the Commonwealth on the epidemic which affects 1 in every 5 Kentucky children. Her statewide food drive provided over 267,850 meals to families across the Commonwealth.

During her tenure, Secretary Grimes has received numerous honors and accolades.

• Within her first years in office, she received the 2012 Accessing Your Power Award, the 2013 Gerald N. Williams Accessibility Award from the Kentucky Rehabilitation Association, and was a Connections Honoree at the 2015 Coretta Scott King Spirit of Ivy Awards.
• For her work with the Commonwealth’s nonprofit organizations, Secretary Grimes was recognized as a Nonprofit Advocacy Partner from the Kentucky Nonprofit Network in 2014 and 2016.
• A lifelong advocate for all Kentucky’s heroes, she has been awarded the 2016 H.B. Deatherage Superior Achievement Award for her unwavering and tireless support of Kentucky’s Veterans, along with being honored by the graduates of Bluegrass ChalleNGe Academy and Kentucky Firefighters for her continued support and personal involvement in the lives of members of each organization.
• Secretary Grimes has, likewise, been honored by numerous women’s groups at county, state and national level including but not limited to the Democratic Woman’s Club of Hardin County, the Campbell County Democratic Woman’s Club, and the Calvert County Democratic Women’s Club to name a few, as well receiving the 2015 Anne Shanks Bourne Award for High Achievement.
• A member of the Football Hall of Fame and former Girl Scout, Secretary Grimes has also been named District Communicator of the Year by the National Speech and Debate Association, the 2019 Lexington Fairness Chair in appreciation of her contributions to the LGBTQ community, and was a Jimmie Lou Fisher and Lottie Shackleford honoree in 2018.
• Secretary Grimes was a proud member of the Department of Homeland Security’s Election and Infrastructure Security Agency (“CISA”) and also held several leadership roles within the National Association of Secretaries of State (“NASS”) on the Remote Notarization Task Force, on the Executive Board serving as the Southern Region Vice President, Voter Participation Committee and the Election Infrastructure Subsector Government Coordinating Council.

Through goals met and promises kept, Secretary Grimes kept Kentucky open for business, grew Kentucky’s economy, and broke down barriers to the ballot box, while revolutionizing and expanding the role of the office to help more Kentuckians.