Allison Ball

Allison Ball

Republican Party

Kentucky Auditor of Public Accounts

Tenure

2024 - Present

Term ends

2028

Years in position

0

Predecessor

Mike Harmon

Prior offices

Kentucky State Treasurer

Successor: Mark Metcalf

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Compensation

Base salary

$129,375

Elections and appointments

Last elected

November 7, 2023

Education

Law

University of Kentucky

Personal

Professional

Attorney

Contact

Official website

Official Facebook

Official Twitter

Official Instagram

Campaign website

Campaign Facebook

Campaign Twitter

Personal Facebook

Personal Instagram

Personal LinkedIn

Allison Ball (Republican Party) is the Kentucky Auditor of Public Accounts. She assumed office on January 1, 2024. Her current term ends on January 3, 2028.

Ball (Republican Party) ran for election for Kentucky Auditor of Public Accounts. She won in the general election on November 7, 2023.

Biography

Allison Ball was born in Floyd County, Kentucky. Ball earned a law degree from the University of Kentucky. Her career experience includes operating a law practice, and working as a bankruptcy lawyer, and an assistant attorney with Floyd County.

Elections

2023

See also: Kentucky Auditor election, 2023

General election

General election for Kentucky Auditor of Public Accounts

Allison Ball defeated Kimberley Reeder in the general election for Kentucky Auditor of Public Accounts on November 7, 2023.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Allison Ball (R)	60.8	783,217
		Kimberley Reeder (D)	39.2	505,924

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 1,289,141
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Democratic primary election

The Democratic primary election was canceled. Kimberley Reeder advanced from the Democratic primary for Kentucky Auditor of Public Accounts.

Republican primary election

Republican primary for Kentucky Auditor of Public Accounts

Allison Ball defeated Derek Leonard Petteys in the Republican primary for Kentucky Auditor of Public Accounts on May 16, 2023.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Allison Ball	72.4	190,761
		Derek Leonard Petteys	27.6	72,589

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 263,350
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
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Endorsements

Ballotpedia did not identify endorsements for Ball in this election.

2019

See also: Kentucky Treasurer election, 2019

General election

General election for Kentucky State Treasurer

Incumbent Allison Ball defeated Michael Bowman in the general election for Kentucky State Treasurer on November 5, 2019.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Allison Ball (R)	60.7	856,150
		Michael Bowman (D)	39.3	555,259

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 1,411,409
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
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Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Kentucky State Treasurer

Michael Bowman defeated Josh Mers in the Democratic primary for Kentucky State Treasurer on May 21, 2019.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Michael Bowman	66.4	218,189
		Josh Mers	33.6	110,354

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 328,543
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Republican primary election

Republican primary for Kentucky State Treasurer

Incumbent Allison Ball advanced from the Republican primary for Kentucky State Treasurer on May 21, 2019.

		Candidate
✔		Allison Ball

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
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2015

See also: Kentucky Treasurer election, 2015

General election

Republican Allison Ball defeated Democrat Rick Nelson in the 2015 Kentucky Treasurer election.

Treasurer, 2015
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Republican	Allison Ball	60.5%	571,455
	Democrat	Rick Nelson	39.5%	372,416
Total Votes				943,871
Election results via Kentucky Secretary of State

Primary election

Ball defeated Jon Larson and Kenny Imes in the Republican primary held on May 19, 2015.

Kentucky Treasurer Republican Primary, 2015
Candidate	Vote %	Votes
Allison Ball	46.9%	84,516
Jon Larson	30.9%	55,712
Kenny Imes	22.2%	40,039
Total Votes		180,267
Election results via Kentucky State Board of Elections.

Race background

Debate over necessity of treasurer's office

Term-limited incumbent Todd Hollenbach (D) and former Republican candidate Jon Larson sparred in public about the role of the treasurer's office in Kentucky. Hollenbach has argued that his office saved taxpayers $103.2 million over the past eight years through the state's investment commission and generated $86 million per year through involvement on the state's lottery board. He also pointed to the office's role in reconnecting unclaimed property with rightful owners in all 120 counties in Kentucky through public events.

Larson suggested that the treasurer's duties could be transferred to the Kentucky Finance and Administration Cabinet, which already handles accounting of some state dollars. He countered Hollenbach's arguments about savings and revenue generation by noting that the cabinet could appoint other officials to these boards at lower costs. The treasurer's office had an annual budget of $3 million in 2015, representing the smallest financial impact of Kentucky's constitutional offices.

Efforts to abolish the treasurer's office gained momentum in recent history with Republicans in the state Senate running into opposition for constitutional changes from the Democratic-led state House. Melinda Wheeler, the 2007 Republican candidate for treasurer, lost to Hollenbach by 15 percent while campaigning on abolition of the office. Larson previously sought to abolish the Fayette County judge executive's office, where he served from 2010 to 2014.

Candidate survey

Ballotpedia sent a four-question survey to all filed candidates for the treasurer's election in 2015. This section gathers responses by candidates as they are submitted to the website.

Neville Blakemore
1. Why are you qualified to be the next Treasurer of Kentucky?

“	As a small business owner with over two decades of management experience, I know how to balance a checkbook and lead a team—this experience is critical when it comes to balancing Kentucky’s checkbook, managing unclaimed property and maximizing the efficiency of the office. The biggest opportunity for the next Treasurer to have an impact is through serving on seven key boards--including the Lottery, Teachers Retirement, Student Loan Corporation and State Investment Commission. These boards make real decisions about how we spend taxpayer dollars, and Kentuckians need a Treasurer to engage in these issues. My strong track record as a business leader and an active community board member gives me the tools to be a strong advocate and a fierce watchdog for Kentucky students, seniors, teachers and all taxpayers.	”
—Email with Melanie McCormick (2015)

2. What is the most important issue facing the next Treasurer of Kentucky?

“	Helping stabilize the Kentucky Teachers’ Retirement System is the critical challenge facing our next Treasurer. Protecting the commitments we’ve made to retired teachers while finding a sustainable path forward requires a Treasurer with extensive experience balancing a checkbook and meeting the fiscal responsibilities of a large organization. I will fight to protect both the teachers and taxpayers as we reform the system.	”
—Email with Melanie McCormick (2015)

3. If elected, what do you hope to accomplish during your first term in office?

“	The first priority for the Treasurer has to be managing the day to day responsibilities: balancing the checkbook and returning unclaimed property. I’ll do this in an effective, transparent way, giving Kentuckians honest answers about where their tax dollars go. The independently-elected Treasurer can and should be a watchdog and advocate on behalf of the people of Kentucky. Next, we must find a solution to our pension problems, and this starts with finding a path forward on teachers’ retirement. The Treasurer can’t do it alone, but I will work to find a real and lasting solution—and as an independently elected official, I’ll use the independent office and independent platform to bring people together and take action.	”
—Email with Melanie McCormick (2015)

4. Where do you stand on proposals to eliminate the treasurer's office?

“	As your next Treasurer, I will certainly use technology to streamline the day-to-day duties of the office. More importantly, technology today can be used to enhance public awareness and ensure transparency. We should invest in fraud protection software and real time, public, online access to Kentucky’s checkbook so we can hold our leaders accountable for their spending decisions.	”
—Email with Melanie McCormick (2015)

Richard Henderson
1. Why are you qualified to be the next Treasurer of Kentucky?

“	I was mayor of Jeffersonville from 2003-2007. As mayor, I managed a $2 million dollar budget that included the water company, parks system, road system, senior citizens and economic development. I served as state representative from the 74th district including Montgomery, Powell and Wolfe counties from 2007-2014. I served on: Member, House Appropriations and Revenue Committee (4 years) Member, House Budget Sub-Committee on Transportation (6 years) Vice chair, House Agriculture and Small Business Committee (8 years) Co-chairman, House Energy Committee (2 years)	”
—Email with Richard Henderson (2015)

2. What is the most important issue facing the next Treasurer of Kentucky?

“	There are three very important issues facing the next state treasurer: Accountability of monies spent, serving on all boards looking out for the stakeholders and citizens first.	”
—Email with Richard Henderson (2015)

3. If elected, what do you hope to accomplish during your first term in office?

“	My plan is to set up permanent regional volunteer offices for unclaimed property and also add updated quarterly printouts of unclaimed property to send out to county office holders, city officials, state representatives, senators, civic groups and community activists in hopes of returning most if not all property to our citizens of this great commonwealth.	”
—Email with Richard Henderson (2015)

4. Where do you stand on proposals to eliminate the treasurer's office?

“	The office of state treasurer should never be eliminated. This office gives a separation of powers within the executive branch of state government. If it is abolished then it would become a governor appointed position. Therefore not saving any money. It could also allow the unclaimed property be swept up by the executive or legislative budgets and used to fill in shortfalls in revenue instead of being returned to its rightful owners. Your future treasurer should fight for this position to remain a constitutional office.	”
—Email with Richard Henderson (2015)

Kenny Imes
1. Why are you qualified to be the next Treasurer of Kentucky?

“	I feel that I am the most qualified candidate for state Treasurer by virtue of both my integrity, experience and common sense in private business, public administration and legislative experience. I have owned and operated seven private companies and supervised and employed over 150 people. As a state cabinet deputy secretary and Commissioner I have supervised over 2,000 state employees and 11 divisions while at the same time basically serving as a CEO, a CFO and CAO of the cabinet all uniquely qualifying me to serve as the Commonwealth's Treasurer. In every instance the budget was balanced and the businesses were profitable.	”
—Email with Kenny Imes (2015)

2. What is the most important issue facing the next Treasurer of Kentucky?

“	There are really two important issues facing the next state Treasurer. One is the constitutional obligation to be the public's 'watchdog' over the state's treasury. The Treasurer should be constantly vigilant on behalf of the taxpayer and do everything in the power of the office to be as transparent and see that the public has eyes on where every tax dollar is spent. Second, the state Treasurer sits on the investment boards for all the state sponsored and backed pension systems. It is imperative that the Treasurer take an active role of leadership in that capacity and in concert with the General Assembly and the Finance Cabinet make much wiser investment decisions based on sound judgement, experience and common financial sense.	”
—Email with Kenny Imes (2015)

3. If elected, what do you hope to accomplish during your first term in office?

“	First of all I would show up for work and not be trying to use the office for political ladder climbing. I would bring 40+ years of private, public and legislative experience to the office for the benefit of all the citizens and taxpayers of Kentucky and provide a level of openness and transparency that has been so lacking heretofore. I will especially view with a critical eye the warrants issued for state checks especially those of a 'no-bid' or personal service contract nature.	”
—Email with Kenny Imes (2015)

4. Where do you stand on proposals to eliminate the treasurer's office?

“	I am completely opposed to any and all efforts to abolish the office is state Treasurer. The Treasurer was put into the state's Constitution as the public's safeguard and watchdog over the public's monies and treasurey. The functions of the office would still have to be done and I can't foresee any savings in dollars or staffing requirements. I truly believe it is the public's best interest to have an elected Treasurer that keeps a check and balance within the Executive officers of the Commonwealth. The potential for abuse or corruption would be astronomically higher if the Treasurer's duties were placed under an appointee who would serve at the pleasure of a Governor rather than elected by the public. I really believe it is in the public interest that the Treasurer write the Governor's paycheck rather than the Governor's writing the Treasurer's paycheck.	”
—Email with Kenny Imes (2015)

Rick Nelson
1. Why are you qualified to be the next Treasurer of Kentucky?

“	I believe I am the most qualified because of my 15 year general assembly experience. Every two years we vote on multi-billion dollar budgets, and my 29 year career as a public school teacher gives me the experience to be able to manage employees and planning.	”
—Email with Rick Nelson (2015)

2. What is the most important issue facing the next Treasurer of Kentucky?

“	The treasurer sits on the Kentucky Teachers Retirement Board that represents over 165,000 active and retired teachers. The system is now at 53% funded. Work needs to be done to address that situation.	”
—Email with Rick Nelson (2015)

3. If elected, what do you hope to accomplish during your first term in office?

“	Make sure that the office spends its budget wisely. I also plan on visiting each Kentucky high school to teach classes on financial literacy, which the treasurer office is responsible for.	”
—Email with Rick Nelson (2015)

4. Where do you stand on proposals to eliminate the treasurer's office?

“	It would be a bad idea. If the governor appointed the treasurer they could order them to do as that governor wanted concerning money matters. The treasurer needs to be independent to be a watchdog for the taxpayers.	”
—Email with Rick Nelson (2015)

Polls

General election

Kentucky Treasurer
Poll	Rick Nelson (D)	Allison Ball (R)	Undecided	Margin of error	Sample size
SurveyUSA/Bluegrass Poll July 22-28, 2015	36%	33%	31%	+/-3.8	685
Public Policy Polling June 18-21, 2015	32%	41%	26%	+/-2.9	1,108
AVERAGES	34%	37%	28.5%	+/-3.35	896.5
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 [email protected].

Republican primary

Kentucky Treasurer, Republican Primary
Poll	Allison Ball (R)	Jon Larson (R)	Kenny Imes (R)	Undecided	Margin of error	Sample size
Triumph Campaigns March 24, 2015	16.7%	10.9%	6.7%	62.7%	+/-4	601
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 [email protected].

Hypothetical match-ups

Kentucky Treasurer, Ball v. Nelson
Poll	Rick Nelson (D)	Allison Ball (R)	Undecided	Margin of error	Sample size
Gravis Marketing January 5-6, 2015	32%	34%	35%	+/-4	608
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 [email protected].

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 $310,779.34 and spent a total of $140,706.65 during this reporting period. This information was last updated on May 5, 2015.

Campaign Contributions and Expenditures
Candidate	Office	Beginning balance	Contributions	Expenditures	Ending balance
Neville Blakemore	Kentucky Treasurer	$195,315.84	$136,056.50	$92,991.29	$238,381.05
James Glenn, Jr.	Kentucky Treasurer	$0	$70,751.42	$11,687.58	$59,063.84
Kenny Imes	Kentucky Treasurer	$0	$47,345.42	$8,757.48	$38,587.94
Allison Ball	Kentucky Treasurer	$17,071.16	$23,330.00	$8,896.64	$31,504.52
Daniel Grossberg	Kentucky Treasurer	$1,872.61	$20,311.00	$12,733.00	$9,450.61
Jon Larson	Kentucky Treasurer	$0	$6,450.00	$431.00	$6,019.00
Richard Henderson	Kentucky Treasurer	$0	$4,035.00	$2,813.95	$1,221.05
Rick Nelson	Kentucky Treasurer	$0	$2,500.00	$2,395.71	$104.29
Grand Total Raised					$310,779.34
Grand Total Spent					$140,706.65

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 $207,835.03 and spent a total of $11,482.7 during this reporting period. This information was last updated on January 25, 2015.

Campaign Contributions and Expenditures
Candidate	Office	Beginning balance	Contributions	Expenditures	Ending balance
Neville Blakemore	Kentucky Treasurer	$0	$204,235.03	$8,919.19	$195,315.84
Allison Ball	Kentucky Treasurer	$17,682.31	$1,600	$2,210.55	$17,071.76
Daniel Grossberg	Kentucky Treasurer	$0	$2,000	$352.96	$1,647.04
Richard Henderson	Kentucky Treasurer	$0	$0	$0	$0
James Glenn, Jr.	Kentucky Treasurer	$0	$0	$0	$0
Kenny Imes	Kentucky Treasurer	$0	$0	$0	$0
Jon Larson	Kentucky Treasurer	$0	$0	$0	$0
Rick Nelson	Kentucky Treasurer	$0	$0	$0	$0
Grand Total Raised					$207,835.03
Grand Total Spent					$11,482.7

Campaign themes

2023

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

Allison Ball did not complete Ballotpedia's 2023 Candidate Connection survey.

2019

Allison Ball completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2019. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Ball's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

Expand all | Collapse all

What would be your top three priorities, if elected?

The first priority of the Office of Kentucky State Treasurer is to do what the Constitution intended – to be a check and balance on spending in order to protect the financial stability of the Commonwealth. I intend to continue to push for taxpayer protections, including stopping fraud attempts. In 2018, I stopped over $5 million in fraud attempts on the Commonwealth, an act that gained national media attention. The Treasury is tasked with overseeing Kentucky’s unclaimed properties. Upon taking office, I eliminated a 90-day backlog in unclaimed property claims. I have also worked to modernize unclaimed property laws. During my time in office, Treasury has returned over $75 million to Kentuckians. That is more than any other Treasurer in Kentucky history in a three-year period.

The second priority is to maintain a commitment to transparency. Because when it comes to transparency in government, we need to be pushing for it all the time. In 2016, I worked to launch a new online database – transparency.ky.gov – at no additional cost to taxpayers. This website made the spending, salaries, contracts, and property of Kentucky’s executive and judicial branches easily accessible to show Kentuckians where their money goes. My long-term goal for this database is to include information from school systems and local governments.

The third priority is to financial empower individual Kentuckians. In 2018, I was very pleased to support HB 132, which will require high school students take a course in financial literacy before their graduation. My office launched our Financial Empowerment Database at the same time. This database is a first-of-its-kind resource that made over 100 financial literacy resources easily accessible for educators implementing HB 132. I hope to continue to empower our educators who work with our students, and to also provide financial literacy resources for other groups including emerging adults, aging Kentuckians, Commonwealth employees, Kentuckians with disabilities, low-income families, and veterans and military personnel.

This year, HB 139, a legislative priority of mine was signed into law. The law establishes the Kentucky Financial Empowerment Commission. The Commission will be funded without use of taxpayer dollars thanks to a partnership I secured with Kentucky credit unions and will work to improve the financial empowerment of Kentuckians.

The strides I have made to improve financial literacy in Kentucky led to me being named the Chair of the National Association of State Treasurer’s Financial Education and Empowerment Committee.

Kentuckians with disabilities have been a segment of our population that have not easily been able to save money. STABLE Kentucky is a savings and investment program that allows Kentuckians with a disability to save up to $15,000 annually without endangering benefits. I implemented this program (which cost other states millions of dollars) at no cost to Kentucky taxpayers by creatively working with the Ohio Treasurer’s office. The funds are tax-free at the federal level, and thanks to a law that I championed in Kentucky, the funds are now tax-free at the state level, too.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

I am passionate about fiscal responsibility, strengthening the economy, improving the financial health of the middle-class and lower income populations, and improving government transparency.

Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.

2015

Ball ran on the following themes in the 2015 election:

“	FINANCIAL RESPONSIBIITY I will use the office of State Treasurer to do what the Constitution intended it to do - to be a check and balance on spending in order to protect the financial stability of the Commonwealth. COMMON-SENSE ECONOMIC PRINCIPLES Since starting my own business at the age of 9, I have always believed that free enterprise provides the best way to promote job creation and personal opportunity. Free enterprise is the foundation of American success. I will use the Office of State Treasurer to be an advocate for conservative economic principles, such as free enterprise, limited government and personal liberty.	”
—Allison Ball's campaign website, (2015)

2016 Republican National Convention

See also: Republican National Convention, 2016

Allison Ball
Republican National Convention, 2016
Status:	Delegate
State:	Kentucky
Bound to:	Unknown
Delegates to the RNC 2016
Calendar and delegate rules overview • Types of delegates • Delegate rules by state • State election law and delegates • Delegates by state

Ball was a delegate to the 2016 Republican National Convention from Kentucky. In the Kentucky Republican caucuses on March 5, 2016, Donald Trump received 17 delegates, Ted Cruz received 15, and Marco Rubio and John Kasich received seven each. Ballotpedia was not able to identify which candidate Ball was bound by state party rules to support at the national convention. If you have information on how Kentucky’s Republican delegates were allocated, please email [email protected].

Delegate rules

See also: RNC delegate guidelines from Kentucky, 2016 and Republican delegates from Kentucky, 2016

Delegates from Kentucky to the Republican National Convention were selected by nomination committees and approved at the county and state conventions. Kentucky GOP rules required national convention delegates to have supported the 2012 Republican presidential nominee. Kentucky GOP rules and Kentucky state law required delegates from Kentucky to vote for the candidate to whom they were allocated through the first round of voting at the national convention. If a candidate died or withdrew prior to the first round of voting at the national convention, the chairman of the Kentucky delegation was to call a meeting at which the delegates were to vote on the remaining candidates and be reallocated on the basis of the results.

Kentucky caucus results

See also: Presidential election in Kentucky, 2016

Kentucky Republican Caucus, 2016
Candidate	Vote %	Votes	Delegates
Donald Trump	35.9%	82,493	17
Ted Cruz	31.6%	72,503	15
Marco Rubio	16.4%	37,579	7
John Kasich	14.4%	33,134	7
Ben Carson	0.8%	1,951	0
Rand Paul	0.4%	872	0
Other	0.2%	496	0
Jeb Bush	0.1%	305	0
Mike Huckabee	0.1%	174	0
Chris Christie	0%	65	0
Carly Fiorina	0%	64	0
Rick Santorum	0%	31	0
Totals		229,667	46
Source: The New York Times and Republican Party of Kentucky

Delegate allocation

See also: 2016 presidential nominations: calendar and delegate rules

Kentucky had 46 delegates at the 2016 Republican National Convention. Of this total, 18 were district-level delegates (three for each of the state's six congressional districts). District delegates were allocated proportionally; a candidate had to win at least 5 percent of the statewide caucus vote in order to be eligible to receive any district delegates.

Of the remaining 28 delegates, 25 served at large. At-large delegates were allocated proportionally; a candidate had to win at least 5 percent of the statewide caucus vote in order to be eligible to receive any of the state's at-large delegates. In addition, three national party leaders (identified on the chart below as RNC delegates) served as bound delegates to the Republican National Convention. The RNC delegates were allocated in the same manner as the at-large delegates.

Issues

ESG

See also: Environmental, social, and corporate governance (ESG)

Environmental, social, and corporate governance
Select a topic from the dropdown below to learn more. Economy and Society: Ballotpedia's weekly ESG newsletterEnvironmental, social, and corporate governance (ESG)Key terms (ESG)Materiality (ESG)Opposition to ESGSocially responsible investingSustainabilitySubmit

As treasurer, Ball took positions in opposition to environmental, social, and corporate governance (ESG), an approach to investing and corporate decision-making.

State financial officers, including treasurers, auditors, and controllers, are responsible for auditing other government offices, managing payroll, and overseeing pensions. In some states, certain SFOs are also responsible for investing state retirement and trust funds.

Opposition to Morningstar ratings of Israel investments (August 2022)

In late August 2022, Ball and 17 other members of the State Financial Officers Foundation (SFOF) co-signed a letter addressed to the Morningstar investment rating service expressing their “serious concern regarding reports that Morningstar, Inc. (Morningstar), through its wholly-owned subsidiary, Sustainalytics, negatively rates firms connected to Israel in apparent alignment with the Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) movement.” The letter asserted the BDS movement was “antithetical to the global causes of peace, democracy, and human rights” and asked Morningstar to take corrective action immediately to terminate all research and ratings products that treat Israel-connected companies differently than companies operating in other free democracies.”

Opposition to SEC proposal to mandate ESG reporting (June 2022)

In June 2022, Ball and 22 other state financial officials submitted a comment to the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) opposing an SEC rule proposal titled the “Enhancement and Standardization of Climate-Related Disclosures for Investors.” In December 2022, the Pittsburgh Business Times reported that if the SEC rule were finalized it “would become some of the first mandatory environmental, social and governance (ESG) reporting requirements for U.S. companies, requiring the disclosure of climate-related risk information in registration statements and periodic reports.”

“We have watched with dismay as the Commission and other federal commissions and boards have proposed rules and policies that promote political causes that will adversely affect public finance and retirement income,” wrote the state financial officers in the letter. “The Proposed Rule is another such rule.”

Letter regarding use of ESG criteria by S&P Global Ratings (June 2022)

In June 2022, Ball co-signed a letter to the leadership of S&P Global Ratings opposing the firm’s “new plan to include ESG credit indicators in its credit ratings for states and state subdivisions.” The letter was also signed by Kentucky Auditor of Public Accounts Mike Harmon, Kentucky Secretary of State Michael Adams, Kentucky Commissioner of Agriculture Ryan Quarles, and Attorney General of Kentucky Daniel Cameron.

Ball and the other signatories wrote that S&P had failed to conduct “cost-benefit-analysis that weighs national security risks and the health of state economies against the need to introduce these ESG factors into its credit ratings.” They also wrote that “subjective, leftist ESG scoring will unquestionably hurt states like Kentucky—where a reduction in coal, oil, and gas production would cause increased unemployment, higher fuel costs, and a decrease in overall tax revenue, thereby negatively impacting Kentucky’s overall creditworthiness and causing undue hardship and suffering for the people of this state.”

“State credit ratings should only be based on finances; they should not be tools to advance political agendas,” said Ball, in a news release regarding the letter. “Injecting political factors of this kind into credit assessments could be particularly detrimental to Kentucky and its signature fossil fuel industries.”

Letter to Department of Labor regarding use of ESG criteria in ERISA decisions (May 2022)

In May 2022, Ball and 37 state officials from 23 states signed a letter to the U.S. Department of Labor Employment Benefits Security Administration to oppose the implementation of a proposed agency rule. The proposed rule would allow fiduciaries of private pension plans governed by the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) to “make investment decisions that reflect climate change and other environmental, social, or governance (“ESG”) considerations, including climate-related financial risk, and choose economically targeted investments (“ETIs”) selected, in part, for benefits apart from the investment return.”

The signatories objected to the rule, writing that it “would irrationally require fiduciaries to elevate immaterial and speculative risks in employee retirement savings investment decisions” where instead the fiduciaries should be “considering only the material financial or pecuniary factors of each potential investment.”

Request for AG Opinion regarding ESG criteria (May 2022)

In May 2022, Ball announced that she had requested an official opinion from Attorney General of Kentucky Daniel Cameron "regarding whether 'stakeholder capitalism' and Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) investment practices in connection with the investment of public pension funds are consistent with Kentucky law governing fiduciary duties.” The attorney general ruled that the law requires state investment officers to “be single-minded in their motivation and actions and their decisions must be "[s]olely in the interest of the members and beneficiaries [and for] the exclusive purpose of providing benefits[26] to members and beneficiaries,” KRS 61.650(1).”

“Kentucky should not be the laboratory for stakeholder capitalism and ESG practices. These dangerous policies place political agendas ahead of fiscal priorities and would be at the detriment of pensioners and our Commonwealth,” Ball said, responding to the ruling. “The findings of the Attorney General outline the explicit duty of Kentucky’s pension managers to maximize shareholder value rather than fold to leftist political pressure.”

Opposition to Federal Reserve Bank appointee (January 2022)

In January 2022, Ball was one of 25 members of the State Financial Officers Foundation (SFOF) who co-signed a letter to President Joe Biden (D), asking him to withdraw the nomination of Sarah Bloom Raskin to the Federal Reserve Bank Board of Governors.

In a May 2020 New York Times commentary titled, "Why Is the Fed Spending So Much Money on a Dying Industry?," Raskin wrote that Federal Reserve policy decisions should oppose investments in fossil fuels and support investments in the renewable energy sector: "The decisions the Fed makes on our behalf should build toward a stronger economy with more jobs in innovative industries — not prop up and enrich dying ones."

Ball and the signatories on the SFOF letter wrote that they were concerned Raskin "would use the supervisory authority as Vice-Chair for Supervision at the Federal Reserve Bank to disrupt the private banking sector, reliable energy supplies, and the U.S. economy.”

In March 2022, Raskin withdrew her name from consideration for the Federal Reserve position.

Opposition to U.S. Department of Labor ESG rules (December 2021)

In December 2021, Ball and 35 other state financial officers and attorneys general submitted a public comment to the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) in opposition to a proposed DOL rule that would encourage financial managers to consider ESG factors when selecting investments for private sector pension plans.

Titled the “Prudence and Loyalty in Selecting Plan Investments and Exercising Shareholder Rights,” the rule would state that pension plan managers "can make investment decisions that reflect climate change and other environmental, social, or governance (‘ESG’) considerations, including climate-related financial risk, and choose economically targeted investments (‘ETIs’) selected, in part, for benefits apart from the investment return.”

Ball and the other officials wrote that the rule “would allow employers and investment managers to invest employee retirement savings in a way that benefits social causes and corporate goals even if it adversely affects the return to the employee” and that it would permit "proxy voting in ways that support ESG investment goals contrary to shareholder interests.”

The state officials wrote that they were “opposed to investment managers and employers being encouraged or mandated to consider ESG factors and protected from legal action when they do” and that the DOL’s proposed rule “makes what should be a financial decision into a political one.”

“I strongly oppose ERISA fiduciaries valuing activism and politics over fiscal responsibility,” said Ball, in a news release regarding the letter. “Permitting subjective environmental, social, and governance considerations to guide investment decisions will be at the detriment of plan beneficiaries. The long-term financial security of retirees should not be sacrificed in favor of irresponsible political action.”

West Virginia letter supporting financial system access for fuel industry (November 2021)

Ball was also a co-signer on a November 22, 2021, letter sent by West Virginia State Treasurer Riley Moore and addressed: "To Whom It May Concern in the U.S. Banking Industry.” The signatories were the treasurers, auditors and comptrollers from fifteen states. The letter identified them as the "fiduciaries and stewards of more than $600 billion” in combined investment capital.

The letter began: “We are writing to notify you that we will be taking collective action in response to the ongoing and growing economic boycott of traditional energy production industries by U.S. financial institutions.” The signatories wrote their individual actions would be tailored to fit each state’s unique laws and economic position, but that the coordinated objective would be "to select financial institutions that support a free market and are not engaged in harmful fossil fuel industry boycotts for our states’ financial services contracts.”

Letter to John Kerry regarding banking access for energy firms (May 2021)

Ball was one of fourteen other state treasurers who co-signed a May 2021 letter sent by West Virginia State Treasurer Riley Moore to Special Presidential Envoy for Climate John Kerry. The treasurers informed Kerry of their concern that he and others in President Joe Biden’s (D) administration were “privately pressuring U.S. banks and financial institutions to refuse to lend to or invest in coal, oil, and natural gas companies, as part of a misguided strategy to eliminate the fossil fuel industry in our country.” The signatories told Kerry that they “strongly oppose the Biden Administration’s efforts to cut off financing for law-abiding industries that are essential to the economy and our citizens’ way of life.”

According to a March 12, 2021, Politico story referenced in the letter, Kerry was "prodding major U.S. banks privately to announce commitments for climate-friendly finance.” The report also revealed that the Biden administration and several climate policy groups held a March 9, 2022, teleconference to discuss "potential financial sector regulations and executive actions to limit risk from climate change-fueled shocks.” Politico listed representatives from the following groups as participants on the call: the Center for American Progress, Public Citizen, Rainforest Action Network, Sierra Club, and 350.org.

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Preceded by Mike Harmon (R)	Kentucky Auditor of Public Accounts 2024-Present	Succeeded by -
Preceded by -	Kentucky State Treasurer 2016-2024	Succeeded by Mark Metcalf (R)