Laws governing ballot measures in Kentucky

Laws governing ballot measures
State
• Laws governing state initiative processes
• Laws governing state recall processes
• Changes to ballot measure law in 2025
• Analysis of 2025 changes to laws governing ballot measures
Local
• Laws governing local ballot measures
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This page provides an overview of resources addressing the laws and procedures that govern statewide and local ballot measures in Kentucky, including constitutional amendments and campaign finance regulations.

Explore the links below for more information:

• Types of ballot measures in Kentucky
• Amending the Kentucky Constitution
• Laws governing local ballot measures in Kentucky
• Laws governing recall in Kentucky
• Laws governing state constitutional conventions in Kentucky
• Campaign finance requirements for Kentucky ballot measures
• Changes to laws governing ballot measures in Kentucky

Laws governing ballot measures in Kentucky

Types of ballot measures in Kentucky

• In Kentucky, citizens do not have the power to initiate ballot measures at the state level.

• In Kentucky, the legislature can refer constitutional amendments and constitutional convention questions to the ballot.

• In Kentucky, a total of 28 ballot measures appeared on statewide ballots between 1985 and 2024. Eighteen (18) ballot measures were approved, and 10 ballot measures were defeated.

Amending the Kentucky Constitution

• Kentucky became a state in 1792. The current state constitution was ratified in 1891.

• The Kentucky Constitution provides two mechanisms for amending the state's constitution—legislatively referred constitutional amendments and convention-referred constitutional amendments. A 60% vote is required during one legislative session for the Kentucky State Legislature to place a constitutional amendment on the ballot. Kentucky requires a simple majority vote (50% plus 1) for voters to approve constitutional amendments. A simple majority vote is required during two successive legislative sessions of the Legislature to place a constitutional convention question on the ballot. Turnout for those voting 'yes' at the election must be equal to at least 25% of the qualified electors who voted at the last general election.

Laws governing local ballot measures in Kentucky

• Local referendum powers are granted by the Kentucky Constitution but only concerning limited subject matters.

Laws governing recall in Kentucky

• Kentucky does not allow the recall of elected officials..

Laws governing state constitutional conventions in Kentucky

• According to the Kentucky Constitution, the state Legislature can vote to refer a constitutional convention question to voters. A simple majority vote is required during two successive legislative sessions of the Legislature to place a constitutional convention question on the ballot. Turnout for those voting 'yes' at the election must be equal to at least 25% of the qualified electors who voted at the last general election.

Campaign finance requirements for Kentucky ballot measures

• PACs that support or oppose ballot measures in Kentucky must register and report campaign finance.

Changes to laws governing ballot measures in Kentucky

See also: Changes to laws governing ballot measures

2025

2024

2023

2022

2021

2020

2019

2018

See also: Changes in 2025 to laws governing ballot measures

• House Bill 45: The bill prohibited foreign contributions or expenditures related to ballot measure campaigns; requires a "paid for by" statement on political communications advocating for or against ballot measure campaigns.

HB 45 Vote	Senate			House
	Yes	No	NV	Yes	No	NV
Total	29	6	3	77	12	11
Democratic (D)	0	6	1	4	12	4
Republican (R)	29	0	2	73	0	7

See also: Changes in 2024 to laws governing ballot measures

• House Bill 147: The bill changed the definition of "next regular election" to mean the regular election in the same or the subsequent calendar year as the levy of the property tax rate; frame property tax rate ballot questions to ask voters if they are for the levy (rather than if they are for or against)

HB 147 Vote	Senate			House
	Yes	No	NV	Yes	No	NV
Total	30	7	1	83	13	2
Democratic (D)	0	7	0	7	13	0
Republican (R)	30	0	1	76	0	2

• House Bill 829: The bill changed ballot question language for petitions to overturn local governments' ordinances prohibiting marijuana businesses and increased the number of required signatures from 5 to 10% of registered voters.

HB 829 Vote	Senate			House
	Yes	No	NV	Yes	No	NV
Total	26	12	0	69	15	16
Democratic (D)	7	0	0	18	0	2
Republican (R)	19	12	0	51	15	14

• Senate Bill 58: The bill reduced the number of voters needed to form a petition committee seeking to overturn a tax levy from five to three; allowed petition sheets to include signatures of voters from more than one precinct; remove requirement for signers to include their social security number; require signers to include their birth date; changed signature requirement from 10% of votes in last presidential election to either 10% of votes in last presidential election or 5,000 registered voters, whichever is less

SB 58 Vote	Senate			House
	Yes	No	NV	Yes	No	NV
Total	26	12	0	76	15	9
Democratic (D)	7	0	0	2	15	3
Republican (R)	19	12	0	74	0	6

See also: Changes in 2023 to laws governing ballot measures

The Kentucky State Legislature did not pass legislation concerning ballot measures in 2023.

See also: Changes in 2022 to laws governing ballot measures

The Kentucky State Legislature did not pass legislation concerning ballot measures in 2022.

See also: Changes in 2021 to laws governing ballot measures

• House Bill 133: The bill decreased the number of signatures for veto referendums against school district tax levies. Before, signatures equal to 10% of the votes cast in the preceding presidential election were required. Under HB 133, 5,000 signatures or signatures equal to 10% of the votes cast in the preceding election, whichever amount is less, are required.

See also: Changes in 2020 to laws governing ballot measures

The Kentucky State Legislature did not pass legislation concerning ballot measures in 2020.

See also: Changes in 2019 to laws governing ballot measures

The Kentucky State Legislature did not pass legislation concerning ballot measures in 2019.

See also: Changes in 2018 to laws governing ballot measures

The Kentucky State Legislature did not pass legislation concerning ballot measures in 2018.

See also

• Laws governing ballot measures

Footnotes

Laws governing ballot measures in the United States

Laws governing ballot measures

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Changes to laws governing ballot measures

Types of ballot measures

Citizen-initiated ballot measures • Legislatively referred ballot measures • Automatically referred ballot measures • Commission-referred ballot measures • Convention-referred constitutional amendments

Ballot measure policy terms

Glossary of ballot measure policy terms