Committee backs constitutional amendment to restore voting rights after sentence completion

Senate Bill 80, offered as a constitutional amendment, would automatically restore the right to vote to people who have completed prison and supervision for most felony convictions. Sponsor Senator Higdon said the amendment excludes certain convictions (treason, bribery, violent offenses, offenses against a child and election-related felonies) and does not automatically restore the right to hold office in all cases. He also said the amendment replaces archaic language in the constitution (removing the word "idiot") with a modern competency standard.

Co-sponsor Senator Keturah Herron urged the committee to move the amendment forward, calling the bill a practicable step after years of work on enfranchisement. Witnesses included Nicole Porter of The Sentencing Project, who recommended broader clean-up amendments but voiced support; Dr. Jennifer Jackson of the League of Women Voters of Kentucky, who urged removing offense lists and restoring rights upon release to reduce administrative complexity; and Marcus Jackson (ABLE), who supported restoration but flagged implementation risks after the governor’s 2019 executive order, telling senators county clerks have handled restoration inconsistently and that opt-out voter-registration practices could criminalize well-intentioned newly eligible voters.

During questioning, Senator McDaniel asked whether the proposal would restore rights to people convicted of particularly severe offenses; proponents responded that restoration under the bill follows sentence completion and that the governor’s pardon process would remain available in exceptional cases. After debate and several explanations of vote, the committee voted to report SB80 favorably, 8 yays and 1 nay; one senator said she may seek more information before voting on the floor.