Kentucky Restore Voting Rights for Certain Convicted Felons Amendment (2026)
| Kentucky Restore Voting Rights for Certain Convicted Felons | |
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| Election date |
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| Topic Voting rights for persons with criminal convictions |
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| Status Proposed |
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| Type Legislatively referred constitutional amendment |
Origin |
The Kentucky Restore Voting Rights for Certain Convicted Felons Amendment may appear on the ballot in Kentucky as a legislatively referred constitutional amendment on November 3, 2026.[1]
The amendment would restore voting rights for persons convicted of a felony not involving treason, bribery in an election, election fraud, a violent or sexual felony, or a criminal offense against a child after completion of a sentence.[2]
Text of measure
Full text
The full text can be read here.
Path to the ballot
- See also: Amending the Kentucky Constitution
Amending the Kentucky Constitution
- See also: Amending the Kentucky Constitution
A 60% vote is required during one legislative session for the Kentucky State Legislature to place a constitutional amendment on the ballot. That amounts to a minimum of 60 votes in the Kentucky House of Representatives and 23 votes in the Kentucky Senate, assuming no vacancies. Amendments do not require the governor's signature to be referred to the ballot. The Legislature cannot add more than four constitutional amendments to one election ballot.
Senate Bill 80 (2026)
The following is the timeline of the constitutional amendment in the state legislature:[1]
- January 13, 2026: The bill was introduced.
- February 20, 2026: The bill passed the Senate by a vote of 35-3.
| Votes Required to Pass: | |||
| Yes | No | NV | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total | 35 | 3 | 0 |
| Total % | 92.1 | 7.9 | 0.0 |
| Democratic (D) | 6 | 0 | 0 |
| Republican (R) | 29 | 3 | 0 |
See also
View other measures certified for the 2026 ballot across the U.S. and in Kentucky.
Explore Kentucky's ballot measure history, including constitutional amendments.
Understand how measures are placed on the ballot and the rules that apply.
External links
Footnotes
