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Kentucky Auditor election, 2015
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May 19, 2015 |
November 3, 2015 |
Adam Edelen |
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The Kentucky Auditor election took place on November 3, 2015, following a primary on May 19, 2015.
Incumbent Adam Edelen (D) was first elected in 2011, but lost to Republican Mike Harmon in the general election. Edelen had considered a run for governor in 2015 but ran to retain his old position instead.[1]
A primary election is an election in which registered voters select a candidate that they believe should be a political party's candidate for elected office to run in the general election. They are also used to choose convention delegates and party leaders. Primaries are state-level and local-level elections that take place prior to a general election. Kentucky utilizes a closed primary process, in which the selection of a party's candidates in an election is limited to registered party members.[2][3][4]
For information about which offices are nominated via primary election, see this article.
Results
General
Republican Mike Harmon defeated incumbent Auditor Adam Edelen (D) in the general election.[5]
| Kentucky Auditor, 2015 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Republican |  Mike Harmon |
51.9% | 486,741 | |
| Democrat | Adam Edelen | 48.1% | 450,316 | |
| Total Votes | 937,057 | |||
| Election results via Kentucky Secretary of State | ||||
Primary
No primary was scheduled for either major party as only one candidate filed for the office from each party.
Candidates
General election
Adam Edelen - Incumbent[6]
Mike Harmon[7]
Key deadlines
| Deadline | Event |
|---|---|
| January 27, 2015 | Filing deadline for primary candidates |
| April 20, 2015 | Voter registration deadline for primary |
| May 19, 2015 | Primary election |
| August 11, 2015 | Filing deadline for petition candidates not involved in partisan primaries |
| October 5, 2015 | Voter registration deadline for general election |
| November 3, 2015 | General election |
| November 23, 2015 | Last day for state certification of election results[8] |
Voter registration
Voters in Kentucky can register to vote by printing off a voter registration card and mailing the completed card to the Kentucky State Board of Elections. A voter registration card can also be obtained from a county clerk.[9]
Applicants must identify their party registration on the card. Voters who identify as unaffiliated or as a third-party registrant can only vote in nonpartisan races during partisan primaries. Unaffiliated and third-party voters can vote for any candidate during general or special elections. Registered voters may switch party affiliation by December 31 without jeopardizing their registration for elections in the following year.[9]
The following criteria must be met to qualify as a registered voter in Kentucky:[9]
- U.S. citizenship
- Resident of Kentucky
- At least 18 years of age by the next general election
- Do not have a felony conviction or have been granted restored rights by executive pardon
- Have not been judged "mentally incompetent" in court
- Do not claim the right to vote in other states
Duties
The auditor's officer originally served as the official bookkeeper of Kentucky, as well as the chief agency for tax collection, the comptroller, and the general administrative officer. The office was established as an independent auditor in 1936, responsible for auditing all spending agencies of the state. The office has also become responsible for technology audits, testing the security of state government computer systems, special investigations, and performance auditing.[10]
Polls
General election
| Kentucky Auditor | |||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Poll | Adam Edelen (D) | Mike Harmon (R) | Undecided | Margin of error | Sample size | ||||||||||||||
| SurveyUSA/Bluegrass Poll October 23-26, 2015 | 42% | 34% | 22% | +/-3.5 | 798 | ||||||||||||||
| SurveyUSA/Bluegrass Poll July 22-28, 2015 | 35% | 31% | 34% | +/-3.8 | 685 | ||||||||||||||
| Public Policy Polling June 18-21, 2015 | 33% | 39% | 27% | +/-2.9 | 1,108 | ||||||||||||||
| AVERAGES | 36.67% | 34.67% | 27.67% | +/-3.4 | 863.67 | ||||||||||||||
| Note: The polls above may not reflect all polls that have been conducted in this race. Those displayed are a random sampling chosen by Ballotpedia staff. If you would like to nominate another poll for inclusion in the table, send an email to editor@ballotpedia.org. | |||||||||||||||||||
Campaign finance
First quarter report (2015)
Comprehensive donor information for this election was collected from the state's campaign finance authority. Based on available campaign finance records, the candidates raised a total of $155,471 and spent a total of $46,951.39 during this reporting period. This information was last updated on May 5, 2015.[11]
| Campaign Contributions and Expenditures | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Office | Beginning balance | Contributions | Expenditures | Ending balance |
| Adam Edelen |
Kentucky Auditor | $247,330.57 | $145,521.00 | $45,503.92 | $347,347.65 |
| Mike Harmon |
Kentucky Auditor | $0 | $9,950.00 | $1,447.47 | $8,502.53 |
| Grand Total Raised | $155,471 | ||||
| Grand Total Spent | $46,951.39 | ||||
Fourth quarter report (2014)
Comprehensive donor information for this election was collected from the state's campaign finance authority. Based on available campaign finance records, the candidates raised a total of $95,635 and spent a total of $28,160.34 during this reporting period. This information was last updated on January 25, 2015.[12]
| Campaign Contributions and Expenditures | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Office | Beginning balance | Contributions | Expenditures | Ending balance |
| Adam Edelen |
Kentucky Auditor | $180,005.91 | $95,635 | $28,160.34 | $247,480.57 |
| Mike Harmon |
Kentucky Auditor | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| Grand Total Raised | $95,635 | ||||
| Grand Total Spent | $28,160.34 | ||||
Past elections
2011
| Kentucky Auditor, 2011 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Democratic | Adam Edelen |
55.8% | 440,345 | |
| Republican | John T. Kemper III | 44.2% | 349,366 | |
| Independent | Kim C. Hay | 0% | 75 | |
| Total Votes | 789,786 | |||
| Election results via Kentucky Secretary of State | ||||
2007
| Kentucky Auditor, 2007 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Democratic | Crit Luallen Incumbent |
59.2% | 591,910 | |
| Republican | Linda Greenwell | 40.8% | 408,617 | |
| Total Votes | 1,000,527 | |||
| Election results via Kentucky Secretary of State | ||||
2003
| Kentucky Auditor, 2003 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Democratic | Crit Luallen |
50.8% | 513,454 | |
| Republican | Linda Greenwell | 49.2% | 498,084 | |
| Total Votes | 1,011,538 | |||
| Election results via Kentucky Secretary of State | ||||
Recent news
This section links to a Google news search for the term "Kentucky + Auditor + election + 2015"
See also
- Kentucky Auditor
- State executive official elections, 2015
- Kentucky state executive official elections, 2015
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ mycn2.com, "Pure Politics: Edelen won't run for governor in 2015; Announces bid for second term as auditor," June 18, 2014
- ↑ NCSL,"State Primary Election Types," February 06, 2024
- ↑ Ballotpedia research conducted December 26, 2013, through January 3, 2014, researching and analyzing various state websites and codes.
- ↑ Kentucky State Board of Elections,"Key Information," accessed July 26, 2024
- ↑ Kentucky State Board of Elections, "2015 General Election - Summary," accessed November 4, 2015
- ↑ Kentucky Secretary of State, "Information for Adam H. Edelen, Candidate for Auditor of Public Accounts," January 14, 2014
- ↑ Kentucky Secretary of State, "Information for Mike Harmon, Candidate for Auditor of Public Accounts," January 23, 2015
- ↑ Kentucky Secretary of State, "2015 Kentucky Election Calendar," accessed December 4, 2014
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 Kentucky Secretary of State, "Register to Vote," accessed December 4, 2014
- ↑ Kentucky Auditor of Public Accounts, "Auditor of Public Accounts History," accessed May 1, 2011
- ↑ Kentucky Registry of Election Finance, "Candidate Search Results," accessed May 5, 2015
- ↑ Kentucky Registry of Election Finance, "Candidate Search Results," accessed January 25, 2015
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