Michael Adams (Kentucky politician)

Michael Gene Adams (born March 27, 1976) is an American politician who is a member of the Republican Party. He is the secretary of state of the Commonwealth of Kentucky. He succeeded Alison Lundergan Grimes on January 6, 2020.[2]

Michael Adams
86th Secretary of State of Kentucky
Assumed office
January 6, 2020
GovernorAndy Beshear
Preceded byAlison Lundergan Grimes
Personal details
Born
Michael Gene Adams[1]

(1976-03-27) March 27, 1976
Paducah, Kentucky, U.S.
Political partyRepublican
EducationUniversity of Louisville (BA)
Harvard University (JD)
WebsiteOfficial website

Early life and career

Adams is from Paducah, Kentucky.[3] He graduated from Reidland High School, the University of Louisville, and Harvard Law School. Adams was the first in his family to get a bachelor's degree and attended Harvard Law School on low-income aid.[3] After law school, Adams served as a judicial law clerk for Chief Judge John G. Heyburn II, of the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Kentucky.[3] He worked for Mitch McConnell and Ernie Fletcher before becoming counsel to the deputy attorney general of the United States during the second term of President George W. Bush. After the Bush administration, Adams served as general counsel to the Republican Governors Association, before working in election law. He served as Mike Pence's political law attorney.[4] Adams served as the campaign attorney for Eric Greitens.[5]

Kentucky Secretary of State

2019 election

In the 2019 Kentucky elections, Adams ran for Secretary of State of Kentucky as a Republican. He defeated former Kentucky Second Lady Heather French Henry in the general election on November 5.[6][7]

Results

2019 Kentucky Secretary of State election
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Michael Adams 746,629 52.3
Democratic Heather French Henry 682,096 47.7
Total votes 1,428,725 100.0
Republican gain from Democratic

Tenure

Adams' highest legislative priority in his campaign was changing state law to require photo identification of voters.[8] On April 14, 2020, in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Kentucky General Assembly passed a Voter ID law over Governor Beshear's veto.[9]

During the 2020 General Election, Adams implemented expanded procedures giving voters in Kentucky options to safely cast votes during the COVID-19 pandemic which included excuse-free absentee voting and three weeks of open polls.[10][11][12] Adams' plan for the 2020 elections resulted in record voter turnout in Kentucky and received praise as a national model for how to conduct elections during a health pandemic.[13] In the 2021 legislative session, Adams led an effort to make several of the election reforms permanent.[14] The legislation garnered bipartisan support, and Governor Beshear signed it into law on April 7, 2021.[15][16]

The election reform measure includes 3 days of early in-person voting, transitions the state toward universal paper ballots, keeps the online portal for requesting absentee ballots, and allows counties to establish vote centers.[17]

References
  1. "Kentuckians could get permanent access to early voting options".
  2. Wall, Connor. "RCN Interviews Secretary of State Candidates". River City News. Retrieved December 30, 2019.
  3. "Biography - Secretary of State". www.sos.ky.gov. Retrieved November 14, 2020.
  4. Ferguson, Jordan (February 12, 2019). "Adams looks to bring experience to run for Kentucky Secretary of State | Local News". murrayledger.com. Retrieved November 6, 2019.
  5. Hancock, Jason. "Eric Greitens campaign attorney is GOP nominee for Kentucky secretary of state". Kansas City Star. Retrieved December 30, 2019.
  6. "2019 Kentucky General Election Results". New York Times. November 5, 2019. Retrieved December 30, 2019.
  7. "Adams elected next Secretary of State". WLEX. November 6, 2019.
  8. "Michael Adams: As secretary of state, I would require a photo ID to vote". Courier Journal. Retrieved May 5, 2019.
  9. "Kentucky lawmakers override veto of voter ID measure". PBS. April 14, 2020.
  10. Hitchcock, Paul (August 14, 2020). "Gov. Beshear, Secretary of State Adams Reach Agreement on General Election Procedures". www.wmky.org. Retrieved December 2, 2020.
  11. Office of the Secretary of State, Kentucky (August 14, 2020). "Recommendations for Elections on Nov. 3, 2020" (PDF). Retrieved December 2, 2020.
  12. Beshear, Andy (August 14, 2020). "Executive Order - State of Emergency Relating to Kentucky Elections" (PDF). Retrieved December 2, 2020.
  13. "Every State, Every Vote: Kentucky Touted As National Model For Conducting Elections During Pandemic". Democratic Governors Association. July 6, 2020. Retrieved December 2, 2020.
  14. "Kentucky Secretary of State details major changes to voting". WEHT. April 9, 2021. Retrieved December 6, 2021.
  15. "Why Kentucky Just Became the Only Red State to Expand Voting Rights". New York Times. April 7, 2021. Retrieved December 6, 2021.
  16. "Early Voting Could Become Permanent in Kentucky Elections". WHAS. April 1, 2021. Retrieved December 6, 2021.
  17. "Kentucky Lawmakers Pass Key Election Reforms, Including Early Voting". Courier Journal. March 29, 2021. Retrieved December 6, 2021.
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