About Auditor Ball
Allison Ball is the 48th Auditor of Public Accounts for the Commonwealth of
Kentucky. Prior to being elected Auditor, Ball served two terms as Kentucky State
Treasurer. Before that, she spent four years as Assistant Floyd County Attorney,
prosecuting child abuse and juvenile delinquency cases.
Ball has a rich Kentucky history; her family has been in Eastern Kentucky since the
1790s, and she holds a degree from the University of Kentucky College of Law.
As Treasurer, Ball was a national leader for improved financial literacy; she
established the Kentucky Financial Empowerment Commission and successfully
advocated for a financial literacy high school graduation requirement.
As Auditor, Ball continues to act as a fierce watchdog of Kentucky taxpayer dollars
protecting them from waste, fraud, and abuse. During her first year, she conducted
and released over 400 audits, thoroughly examining the financial practices of county
governments and state agencies across the Commonwealth. Notably, Ball released a
full performance review of the Department of Juvenile Justice, shining a light on the
harsh treatment faced by youth in the juvenile justice system resulting in an ongoing
Federal investigation. Additionally, her office's annual Statewide Single Audit of the
Commonwealth of Kentucky uncovered a Cabinet employee embezzling funds,
resulting in a federal indictment.
A Floyd County native, Ball and her husband, Dr. Asa James Swan, have two
children, Levi and Marigold. Upon birth of her son, she was the first Kentucky
Constitutional Officer to give birth while in office.
Mission
To act as a vigorous guardian of taxpayer dollars, providing the accountability, integrity, and leadership for Kentucky to thrive in the 21st century.
Overview
Every taxpayer dollar wasted to fraud, abuse and negligence in Kentucky is one less our Commonwealth can use to invest in its future. The Auditor of Public Accounts ensures that public resources are protected, accurately valued, properly accounted for, and effectively employed to raise the quality of life for all Kentuckians.
General Duties
We are an independent and impartial elected-office charged with auditing the accounts and financial transactions of all spending agencies of the Commonwealth. Our office oversees more than 600 audits annually, including:
- Accounts, financial transactions and performance of state agencies;
- Public and quasi-private agencies that receive state funds;
- Performance, management, conduct and condition of state-owned or operated institutions, such as prisons and public works;
- Fiscal courts, county sheriffs, county clerks and educational cooperatives.