Laws governing ballot measures in Kentucky
From Ballotpedia
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
2025
2024
2023
2022
2021
2020
2019
2018
- 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.[1]
| 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
Footnotes
- ↑ Kentucky State Legislature, "HB 45," accessed April 1, 2025
- ↑ Kentucky State Legislature, "HB 147," accessed June 17, 2024
- ↑ Kentucky State Legislature, "HB 829," accessed April 17, 2024
- ↑ Kentucky State Legislature, "SB 58," accessed April 17, 2024
- ↑ Kentucky State Legislature, "House Bill 133," accessed June 20, 2023
