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Kentucky 2020 ballot measures
- Election date: Nov. 3
- Registration deadline(s): Oct. 5
- Online registration: Yes
- Same-day registration: No
- Recount laws
- Early voting starts: Oct. 13
- Absentee/mail voting deadline(s): Nov. 3 (postmarked); Nov. 6 (received)
- Processing, counting, and challenging absentee/mail-in ballots
- Voter ID: Non-photo ID
- Poll times: 6 a.m. to 6 p.m.
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Two statewide ballot measures were certified to appear on the ballot in Kentucky on November 3, 2020. Constitutional Amendment 1 was approved, and Constitutional Amendment 2 was defeated.
On the ballot
| Type | Title | Subject | Description | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| LRCA | Constitutional Amendment 1 | Law enforcement | Adds a Marsy's Law to the Kentucky Constitution |  |
| LRCA | Constitutional Amendment 2 | Term limits | Extends the office terms of commonwealth's attorneys and district judges and changes licensing requirements |  |
Summary of campaign contributions
- See also: Ballot measure campaign finance, 2020
The following chart illustrates how much support and opposition committees received in campaign contributions for each measure on the ballot:
| Ballot Measure | Support Contributions | Oppose Contributions | Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kentucky Constitutional Amendment 1, Marsy's Law Crime Victims Rights Amendment (2020) | $2,348,852.11 | $0.00 |
|
| Kentucky Constitutional Amendment 2, Terms of Judicial Offices Amendment (2020) | $15,000.00 | $0.00 |
|
Getting measures on the ballot
Citizens
In Kentucky, citizens do not have the power to initiate statewide initiatives or referendums. As of 2019, voters of Kentucky had never voted on a ballot measure to authorize a statewide initiative and referendum process.
Legislature
The Kentucky State Legislature can refer statewide ballot measures, in the form of constitutional amendments, to the general election ballot in even-numbered years. Kentucky requires a 60 percent vote in each legislative chamber during one legislative session to refer a constitutional amendment to the ballot. That amounts to a minimum of 60 votes in the Kentucky House of Representatives and 23 votes in the Kentucky State Senate, assuming no vacancies. Amendments do not require the governor's signature to be referred to the ballot.
Referral of 2020 constitutional amendment
The following table illustrates the vote requirements for the constitutional amendment certified for the ballot, the votes the amendment received, and how Democrats and Republicans voted on the amendment in each legislative chamber:
| Kentucky Constitutional Amendment 1, Marsy's Law Crime Victims Rights Amendment | Democrats | Republicans | |||
| Senate: | Required: 23 | Yes votes: 31 (81.58%) | No votes: 6 (15.79%) | Yes: 6; No: 2 | Yes: 25; No: 4 |
| House: | Required: 60 | Yes votes: 74 (74.00%) | No votes: 15 (15.00%) | Yes: 22; No: 9 | Yes: 52; No: 6 |
Historical facts
- A total of 10 measures appeared on statewide ballots in Kentucky from 1995 to 2018.
- From 1995 to 2018, the number of measures on statewide ballots ranged from zero to two.
- From 1995 to 2018, an average of .83 measures appeared on the ballot in Kentucky during even-numbered election years. The median number of measures was one.
- From 1995 to 2018, 90 percent (nine of 10) of the total number of measures that appeared on statewide ballots during even-numbered years were approved, and 10 percent (one of 10) was defeated.
Local ballot measures
In 2020, Ballotpedia covered local measures that appeared on the ballot for voters within the top 100 largest cities in the U.S. and a selection of notable police-related and election-related measures outside of the top 100 largest cities. Ballotpedia also covered all local measures in California and all statewide ballot measures. Click here to see the scope of Ballotpedia local ballot measure coverage by year.
Click here for more information about local ballot measures on the November 2020 ballot in Kentucky.
Not on the ballot
| Type | Title | Subject | Description | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| LRCA | State Executive Elections in Even-Numbered Years Amendment | Elections | Moves state executive elections from odd-numbered to even-numbered years | 
|
| LRCA | Governor's Pardoning Power Amendment | State executive official measures and Administration of government | Limits the governor's pardoning power during the last days of his term prior to an election |
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| LRCA | Voting Rights Restoration for Felons Amendment | Suffrage | Authorizes the General Assembly to provide for restoring the right to vote for certain felons |
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| LRCA | Repeal of Virginia Law Clause Amendment | Constitutional language | Repeals a clause in the Kentucky Constitution that enforces Virginia laws enacted before June 1, 1792 in Kentucky |
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| LRCA | No Right to Abortion in Constitution Amendment | Abortion | Amends the state Constitution to state that there is no right to an abortion or public funding for abortions |
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See also
External links
