The civic record
Read. Follow. Verify.Kentucky Senate proposes constitutional amendment to automatically restore voting rights for certain felony convictions after sentence completion
Last action · March 13, 2026: to Elections, Const. Amendments & Intergovernmental Affairs (H)Sponsors: Jimmy Higdon and 3 others
Track this bill to get notified when it advances a stage. One tap to stop, anytime.
What This Bill Proposed
Kentucky SB 80 proposes a constitutional amendment to automatically restore voting rights to individuals convicted of certain felonies once they complete their imprisonment, , or , excluding financial conditions like restitution and fines. The measure requires voter ratification on the ballot at the next regular election following publication and certification by the Secretary of State.
Determines whether thousands of felony-convicted citizens in Kentucky who have completed their prison and supervision terms can regain their right to vote without needing an , excluding those convicted of specific violent or election-related crimes.
- Section 145 of the Constitution of Kentucky historically governs voter qualifications and felony disenfranchisement provisions in the state. context
Who It Would Have Affected
Groups the bill's text would have affected, as described in the record. Being affected is not a position for or against it.
Persons convicted of certain felonies
County clerks
They are required to have the certified question and amendment indicated on paper or electronic voting machine ballots.
Secretary of State
Must publish the amendment in a newspaper of general circulation and certify the question to county clerks by statutory deadlines.
Key Facts
- Automatically restores voting rights to persons convicted of a felony upon completion of any term of imprisonment, probation, or parole, excluding restitution, fines, and court-ordered monetary conditions.
- Excludes automatic restoration for persons convicted of treason, bribery in an election, election fraud, a violent felony offense, a felony sexual offense, or a criminal offense against a child.
- Requires the proposed amendment to be submitted to Kentucky voters for ratification or rejection at the next regular election.
- Directs the Secretary of State to publish the entirety of the constitutional amendment question in a newspaper of general circulation no later than the first Tuesday in August preceding the election.
Show all 6 facts
- Requires the Secretary of State to certify the question and amendment to each county clerk by specified dates in August or September depending on whether a presidential election year is occurring.
- Maintains exclusions for individuals who are currently in confinement under a court judgment or determined by a court to be mentally incompetent without retained or restored voting rights.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is excluded from automatic voting rights restoration under SB 80?
Do outstanding court fines or restitution prevent a person from regaining voting rights?
What else do you want to know?
News Coverage
Follow the record
Votes, people, money & the original sourceWhere This Stands
This bill did not become law - Died at adjournment · passed the Senate · in House committee.
Procedural history
7 actions- Mar 13, 2026HouseCommitteeto Elections, Const. Amendments & Intergovernmental Affairs (H)
- Feb 23, 2026HouseIntroducedreceived in House to Committee on Committees (H)
- Feb 20, 2026SenateFloor3rd reading, passed 35-3
- Feb 19, 2026SenateFloor2nd reading, to Rules posted for passage in the Regular Orders of the Day for Friday, February 20 2026
- Feb 18, 2026Senatereported favorably, 1st reading, to Calendar
- Feb 9, 2026SenateCommitteeto State & Local Government (S)
Show 1 earlier action
- Jan 13, 2026SenateIntroducedintroduced in Senate to Committee on Committees (S)
Version history
Only one version on file - nothing to compare yet. As later stages (committee substitute, engrossed, enrolled) are captured, the redline appears here.
View official text →Lobbying Activity
No state lobbying filings in our records match this bill. Federal lobbying reports (LDA) cover Congress, so they are not listed on state bills.
Full breakdown
Who this bill affects and the strongest case for and against it, written only from the bill’s own text.
Sponsors
Discoveries
Patterns POLISCOPE noticed across the record. These are observations to investigate, not conclusions.
Shift from Pardon-Based to Automatic Rights Restoration
The measure shifts rights restoration from individual executive pardons to an automatic process upon sentence completion for non-excluded felony convictions.
Connected Entities
Sources
apps.legislature.ky.gov
Analysis Score
0–100- Significance20Lowered because this bill did not pass (its text scored 85)
- Controversy75Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
- Entertainment10Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
- Buzz60Current news / social attention level
Publisher tools