List of Kentucky ballot measures

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This page provides a list of ballot measures that have appeared on the statewide ballot in Kentucky.

• The list is comprehensive for state ballot measures since 1991.

• HBM Factbook
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• List of ballot measures by year
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• Types of ballot measures
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Historical Ballot Measures (HBM) Factbooks

See also: Historical Ballot Measures (HBM) Factbooks

The inventory of statewide ballot measures is part of Ballotpedia's Historical Ballot Measure Factbooks, which document nearly 200 years of direct democracy in the United States. This ongoing research effort will provide an unparalleled resource for researchers, reporters, and voters on how ballot measures have evolved, the issues they've covered, and the role they have played in our civic life. Click here to access the state historical ballot measure factbooks.

List of ballot measures by year

Measures are listed in reverse-chronological order, with the most recent and upcoming elections appearing first. Tables include brief summaries, relevant topics, and the election results for each measure.

2024

See also: Kentucky 2024 ballot measures

November 5

Type	Title	Subject	Description	Result	Yes Votes	No Votes
LRCA	Constitutional Amendment 1	Citizenship voting requirements	Prohibit the state and local governments from allowing noncitizens to vote	a	1,208,898 (62%)	727,515 (38%)
LRCA	Constitutional Amendment 2	School choice policy; State legislative authority	Allow the state to provide funding for non-public education	d	706,942 (35%)	1,298,967 (65%)

2022

See also: Kentucky 2022 ballot measures

November 8

Type	Title	Subject	Description	Result	Yes Votes	No Votes
LRCA	Constitutional Amendment 1	State legislative processes and sessions	Remove legislative session end dates and provides that odd-year sessions are limited to 30 legislative days and even-year sessions are limited to 60 legislative days	d	602,226 (46%)	694,311 (54%)
LRCA	Constitutional Amendment 2	Constitutional rights; Abortion policy	Provide that the state constitution does not create a right to an abortion or public abortion funding	d	675,634 (48%)	742,232 (52%)

2020

See also: Kentucky 2020 ballot measures

November 3

Type	Title	Subject	Description	Result	Yes Votes	No Votes
LRCA	Constitutional Amendment 1	Crime victims' rights; Criminal trials	Adds a Marsy's Law to the Kentucky Constitution	a	1,156,883 (63%)	668,866 (37%)
LRCA	Constitutional Amendment 2	Judicial term limits	Extends the office terms of commonwealth's attorneys and district judges and changes licensing requirements	d	574,585 (31%)	1,279,394 (69%)

2018

See also: Kentucky 2018 ballot measures

November 6

Type	Title	Subject	Description	Result	Yes Votes	No Votes
LRCA	Marsy's Law Amendment	Crime victims' rights; Criminal trials	The Kentucky Marsy's Law Crime Victims Rights Amendment was on the ballot in Kentucky as a legislatively referred constitutional amendment on November 6, 2018. On October 15, 2018, a circuit court blocked votes from being counted for the amendment. On June 13, 2019, the state Supreme Court upheld the lower court's ruling, thus rending the amendment invalid.		868,932 (63%)	514,440 (37%)

2012

See also: Kentucky 2012 ballot measures

November 6

Type	Title	Subject	Description	Result	Yes Votes	No Votes
LRCA	Amendment	Constitutional rights; Right to hunt and fish	Provide for a state constitutional right to hunt, fish, and harvest wildlife	a	1,298,340 (84%)	238,320 (16%)

2004

See also: Kentucky 2004 ballot measures

November 2

Type	Title	Subject	Description	Result	Yes Votes	No Votes
LRCA	Amendment 1	Family-related policy; LGBTQ issues	Defined marriage as being between one man and one woman, and declared any legal status identical to or similar to marriage for unmarried individuals as invalid		1,222,125 (75%)	417,097 (25%)

2002

See also: Kentucky 2002 ballot measures

November 5

Type	Title	Subject	Result	Yes Votes	No Votes
	Amendment 1	State judiciary structure; State judicial authority	a	726,837 (75%)	236,041 (25%)
	Amendment 2	Business regulations	a	570,796 (61%)	368,854 (39%)

2000

See also: Kentucky 2000 ballot measures

November 7

Type	Title	Subject	Result	Yes Votes	No Votes
	Amendment 1	Administration of government	a	576,081 (52%)	524,877 (48%)
	Amendment 2	Administration of government	a	547,020 (51%)	535,025 (49%)

1998

See also: Kentucky 1998 ballot measures

November 3

Type	Title	Subject	Result	Yes Votes	No Votes
LRCA	Amendment 1	Administration of government	d	413,143 (49%)	431,304 (51%)
LRCA	Amendment 2	Taxes	a	678,141 (79%)	183,806 (21%)

1996

See also: Kentucky 1996 ballot measures

November 6

Type	Title	Subject	Result	Yes Votes	No Votes
	Amendment 1	Taxes; Public education governance; Public education funding	a	567,790 (67%)	276,018 (33%)

1994

See also: Kentucky 1994 ballot measures

November 8

Type	Title	Subject	Result	Yes Votes	No Votes
LRCA	Amendment 1	Balanced budget requirements	a	273,142 (54%)	233,189 (46%)

1992

See also: Kentucky 1992 ballot measures

November 3

Type	Title	Subject	Result	Yes Votes	No Votes
LRCA	Amendment 1	Gambling policy	a	777,373 (71%)	324,824 (29%)
LRCA	Amendment 2	State executive official measures	a	540,156 (51%)	516,233 (49%)
LRCA	Amendment 3	State executive official measures	d	408,234 (39%)	643,708 (61%)

1990

See also: Kentucky 1990 ballot measures

November 6

Type	Title	Subject	Result	Yes Votes	No Votes
	Amendment 1	Administration of government	d	296,060 (42%)	415,721 (58%)
	Amendment 2	Administration of government	d	213,821 (31%)	472,725 (69%)
	Amendment 3	Administration of government	d	230,723 (34%)	445,853 (66%)
	Amendment 4	Taxes	a	584,522 (71%)	235,806 (29%)

1988

See also: Kentucky 1988 ballot measures

November 8

Type	Title	Subject	Result	Yes Votes	No Votes
LRCA	Amendment 2	Mineral resources	a	882,960 (83%)	187,119 (17%)

1986

See also: Kentucky 1986 ballot measures

November 4

Type	Title	Subject	Result	Yes Votes	No Votes
LRCA	Amendment 1	Public education governance	d	228,909 (43%)	306,905 (57%)
LRCA	Amendment 2	Local official term limits	a	297,883 (58%)	219,201 (42%)

1984

See also: Kentucky 1984 ballot measures

November 6

Type	Title	Subject	Result	Yes Votes	No Votes
LRCA	Amendment 1	Local official term limits; Law enforcement officers and departments	a	512,741 (63%)	303,987 (37%)

1981

See also: Kentucky 1981 ballot measures

November 5

Type	Title	Subject	Result	Yes Votes	No Votes
LRCA	Amendment 1	Local official term limits; Executive official term limits	d	213,988 (36%)	381,362 (64%)

May 26

Type	Title	Subject	Result	Yes Votes	No Votes
LRCA	Amendment 2	Property; Taxes	a	254,065 (51%)	247,939 (49%)

1979

See also: Kentucky 1979 ballot measures

November 6

Type	Title	Subject	Result	Yes Votes	No Votes
LRCA	Four Amendments Referendum	State legislative authority	a	187,933 (58%)	137,053 (42%)
LRCA	General Assembly Election Years Referendum	State legislative elections	a	183,056 (60%)	124,318 (40%)

1977

See also: Kentucky 1977 ballot measures

November 8

Type	Title	Subject	Result	Yes Votes	No Votes
LRCA	Constitutional Convention Referendum	State constitutional conventions	d	165,311 (39%)	254,934 (61%)

1975

See also: Kentucky 1975 ballot measures

November 4

Type	Title	Subject	Result	Yes Votes	No Votes
LRCA	Judicial Branch Restructuring Referendum	State judicial authority; State judiciary structure	a	215,419 (54%)	180,124 (46%)
LRCA	Senior Residence Tax Exemption Referendum	Property tax exemptions; Property taxes	a	235,596 (61%)	150,163 (39%)

1973

See also: Kentucky 1973 ballot measures

November 6

Type	Title	Subject	Result	Yes Votes	No Votes
LRCA	Government Reorganization Referendum	Administration of government	d	159,005 (46%)	186,157 (54%)
LRCA	Legislative Session Referendum	State legislatures measures; Administration of government	d	131,392 (39%)	207,672 (61%)

1971

See also: Kentucky 1971 ballot measures

November 2

Type	Title	Subject	Result
LRCA	Senior Residence Tax Exemption Referendum	Property; Property tax exemptions	a

1969

See also: Kentucky 1969 ballot measures

November 4

Type	Title	Subject	Result
LRCA	Agricultural Land Assessment Referendum	Property; Property taxes; Property tax exemptions; Agriculture policy	a
LRCA	Legislative Session Referendum	State legislative processes and sessions	d

1967

See also: Kentucky 1967 ballot measures

November 8

Type	Title	Subject	Result	Yes Votes	No Votes
LRCA	Proposed Constitution Referendum	State constitution ratification	d	143,133 (22%)	517,034 (78%)

1963

See also: Kentucky 1963 ballot measures

November 5

Type	Title	Subject	Result
LRCA	Five Amendments Referendum	State legislative processes and sessions	d
LRCA	Salary Limit Referendum	Salaries of government officials	d

1960

See also: Kentucky 1960 ballot measures

November 8

Type	Title	Subject	Result	Yes Votes	No Votes
LRCA	Constitutional Convention Referendum	State constitutional conventions	d	324,777 (49%)	342,501 (51%)
BI	Highways and Parks Bonds Ballot Question	Transportation; Bond issues	a

1959

See also: Kentucky 1959 ballot measures

November 3

Type	Title	Subject	Result
LRCA	Sheriff Succession Referendum	Law enforcement officers and departments	d
LRCA	Veteran Bonus Sales Tax Referendum	Veterans policy; Sales taxes	a

1957

See also: Kentucky 1957 ballot measures

November 5

Type	Title	Subject	Result
LRCA	Commissioner of Education Referendum	Elections and campaigns; Public education governance; Administration of government	a

1955

See also: Kentucky 1955 ballot measures

November 8

Type	Title	Subject	Description	Result
LRCA	Household Goods Tax Exemption Referendum	Property tax exemptions		a
LRCA	Suffrage Amendment	Suffrage	Changes to the suffrage provision of the state constitution	a

1953

See also: Kentucky 1953 ballot measures

November 3

Type	Title	Subject	Result
LRCA	School Fund Referendum	State and local government budgets, spending, and finance; Education	a

1951

See also: Kentucky 1951 ballot measures

November 6

Type	Title	Subject	Result
LRCA	Unlimited Constitutional Amendments Referendum	Ballot measure process	d

1949

See also: Kentucky 1949 ballot measures

November 8

Type	Title	Subject	Result
LRCA	School Funds Referendum	State and local government budgets, spending, and finance; Education	a
LRCA	State and City Official Salaries Referendum	Salaries of government officials	a

1947

See also: Kentucky 1947 ballot measures

November 4

Type	Title	Subject	Result	Yes Votes	No Votes
	Constitutional Convention Referendum	State constitutional conventions	d	144,692 (43%)	191,876 (57%)

1945

See also: Kentucky 1945 ballot measures

November 6

Type	Title	Subject	Result
LRCA	Absentee Voting Referendum	Absentee and mail voting	a
LRCA	Highway Fund Taxes Referendum	Revenue allocation; Transportation; Transportation taxes and fees	a

1943

See also: Kentucky 1943 ballot measures

November 2

Type	Title	Subject	Result
LRCA	Workers' Compensation Referendum	Workers' compensation laws	d

1941

See also: Kentucky 1941 ballot measures

November 4

Type	Title	Subject	Result	Yes Votes	No Votes
LRCA	Equalization Fund Referendum	State and local government budgets, spending, and finance	a	312,986 (85%)	53,924 (15%)
LRCA	Voting Machines Referendum	Election administration and governance	a

Types of ballot measures in Kentucky

See also: Types of ballot measures in Kentucky

Citizen-initiated ballot measures

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

Legislative referrals

Legislatively referred constitutional amendments

See also: Legislatively referred constitutional amendment

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.

Constitutional convention questions

See also: Constitutional convention question

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.

See also

State & Local Ballot Measures

Ballotpedia

Measures

• • State ballot measures
• • Local ballot measures
• • Analyses

Topics

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Law

• • Laws governing ballot measures
• • Changes to laws governing ballot measures
• • Types of ballot measures
• • Ballot measure policy topics

History

• • Historical Ballot Measures (HBM) Factbooks
• • History of ballot measures by topic

Campaigns

• • Campaign finance
• • Endorsements
• • Polls

Footnotes

State ballot measures

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