FRANKFORT- The Kentucky Senate voted to strip Secretary of State Alison Lundergan Grimes of her power over the State Board of Elections.

Senate Bill 34, sponsored by Sen. Damon Thayer, R-Georgetown, passed this afternoon 27 to 8. Sen. Denise Harper Angel, D-Louisville, was the only Democrat to vote for it.

The bill removes the Secretary of State as the presiding officer over the State Board of Elections while preventing access to the Secretary of State and employees to the Voter Registration System. 

This measures comes after various employees of the Board of Elections came forward with complaints that Grimes had staff members use the voter registration database to look up information on prospective employees. An explosive report by the Herald-Leader and ProPublica caused Sen. Thayer to add an emergency clause on the bill. 

Grimes  pushed back against the passage of the bill. 

"This legislation will disrupt Kentucky’s 2019 elections,” Grimes said in a statement. “I am disappointed that the Republican majority is attempting to polarize the fair and impartial administration of elections in Kentucky by stripping the Secretary of State’s Office of its ability to discharge the legal duties of the Commonwealth’s Chief Election Official. I will carefully review any legislation enacted and take all legal actions necessary to preserve the integrity of Kentucky’s elections.  The Republican effort to now change the laws applicable to the Secretary of State’s Office makes clear that my office has at all times discharged its duties in compliance with existing law.”

The bill now heads to the House.