Kentucky voted to send Gov. Matt Bevin packing -- and they're not happy with reports that Republican legislators are scheming to keep him in office.
State Senate President Robert Stivers told reporters that a joint session of the GOP-controlled Kentucky General Assembly may eventually decide the winner of a close race that Bevin has not yet conceded, and Kentuckians are furious, reported the Courier-Journal.
"I don’t mind a recount, but anything else without just cause no!" said Jane Rueve, of Prospect. "Especially no to the legislators. They weren’t elected to pick the governor."
The scheme reminded some of President Donald Trump, who Bevin aligned himself with during the re-election campaign.
"This refusal normalizes fighting results — something I expect Trump to do if in a similar situation," said Denise Davis, of Louisville. "His base will see his action as righteous and indicative of a coordinated effort of Democrats at all levels of government to steal elections. The refusal to accept voting results weakens democracy."
Bevin's refusal to concede undermines public confidence in the democratic process, but voters have come to expect that sort of behavior from the GOP governor.
"From hiring cronies to manipulating real estate values to exploiting his children to brag about breaking Kentucky laws, his corruption was equaled only by his incompetence," said Cynthia Weinmann, of Bagdad. "We should expect just one decent act from him, but it won’t happen. It will take thousands of taxpayer dollars to rid ourselves of this blight. It will be worth it."
Voters aren't surprised the state's Republican Party might try to steal the election through the legislature.
"Andy Beshear worked hard and ran a good campaign on the needs of Kentuckians," said Joanna Goldstein, of Louisville, "and if Stivers tries to overturn the election with legislative action, he is telling the thousands of citizens who voted for Beshear and the Libertarian (that is against Bevin) that his partisan preference matters more than democracy. It will be proof positive of political corruption on the part of the GOP."