Six states adopted new laws related to voting by individuals convicted of a felony or voting by incarcerated individuals, including two states with Republican trifectas that passed bills to restore voting rights to certain individuals convicted of a felony more quickly. In Oklahoma, Gov. Kevin Stitt (R) signed HB 1629 on May 13, restoring voting rights to people convicted…
Nine states, including seven with Republican trifectas, have enacted legislation this year related to the eligibility of noncitizens to vote. In total, voters in eight states will consider ballot measures related to noncitizen voting at the November general election. In Louisiana, SB 436 requires proof of citizenship for voter registration applications. In 2022, Louisiana voters approved a ballot…
Three states—Kentucky, Oklahoma, and Alabama—banned ranked-choice voting (RCV) in less than a month. All three have Republican-controlled legislatures, and Alabama and Oklahoma have Republican trifectas. RCV was not in use in any of the states at the time. The three new bans bring the total number of states banning RCV to eight. All eight had a Republican-controlled…
All three candidates running in the May 21, 2024, Democratic primary election for Kentucky House of Representatives District 76 — Joshua Buckman (D), Anne Donworth (D), and James Palumbo (D) — completed Ballotpedia’s Candidate Connection survey. These survey responses allow voters to hear directly from candidates about what motivates them to run for office. Here are the candidates’…
Two federal judges in Texas and Kentucky ruled against the Federal Highway Administration’s (FHWA) greenhouse gas emissions rule, which would require states to set goals to reduce vehicle emissions. Judge James Wesley Hendrix of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Texas ruled on March 27, 2024, that the FHWA did not…
Two states adopted new ranked-choice voting (RCV) laws in recent weeks. Elsewhere, RCV legislation advanced in Republican trifecta states and was vetoed in Virginia. Check out April’s RCV update below. Kentucky is sixth state to ban RCV On April 12, Kentucky legislators overrode Gov. Andy Beshear’s (D) veto of House Bill 44 (HB 44), which…
On April 12, lawmakers in the Republican-controlled Kentucky Legislature overrode Gov. Andy Beshear’s (D) veto of House Bill 622. The bill amends Kentucky law “to require the Governor to sign a proclamation for an election to fill a vacancy in the office of United States Senator” and “extend the term of the candidate who wins…
On April 12, Kentucky legislators adopted a prohibition on ranked-choice voting (RCV) in the state by overriding a veto from Gov. Andy Beshear (D). The new law makes Kentucky the sixth state to ban RCV, and the sixth to do so since 2022. Kentucky is the first state to adopt such a law with a…
Kentucky voters will decide on a constitutional amendment that would prohibit noncitizen voting in elections on Nov. 5, 2024. The constitutional amendment would add language to the Kentucky Constitution to provide that “no person who is not a citizen of the United States shall be allowed to vote in this state.” Noncitizens cannot vote or…
In Kentucky, the legislature passed a constitutional amendment allowing laws to provide state funding for non-public education. The amendment will appear on the ballot for voters to decide on Nov. 5, 2024. State Rep. Suzanne Miles (R-7) introduced the constitutional amendment as House Bill 2 (HB2). The constitutional amendment was approved by the Kentucky House…