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Bill > HB139

KY HB139

KY HB139
AN ACT relating to elections and declaring an emergency.

summary

Introduced
01/07/2026
In Committee
04/14/2026
Crossed Over
02/20/2026
Passed
04/14/2026
Dead
Vetoed
04/10/2026
Veto Overridden
04/14/2026
Signed/Enacted/Adopted
04/14/2026

Introduced Session

Potential new amendment
2026 Regular Session

Bill Summary

Amend KRS 116.112 to allow the State Board of Elections to enter into intergovernmental agreements with other governmental agencies to exchange data to assist in investigating violations of election offenses; amend KRS 117.125 to require voting systems and equipment meet or exceed a standard approved by the Election Assistance Commission; amend KRS 117.145 to require that county clerks provide voting equipment with the necessary supplies for write-in votes on the day before any in-person voting occurs; amend KRS 117.265 to change the date a person running for President or Vice President must file a declaration of intent to be a write-in candidate to the same deadline as the certification of candidates; amend KRS 117.355 to require county boards of elections to deliver signature rosters and precinct results to the State Board of Elections within 10 days after any primary or general election; amend KRS 117.379 to require voting systems meet a previously established Election Assistance Commission standard; amend KRS 117.389 to require county clerks to test automatic tabulating equipment after any petitions for local option elections have been filed; amend KRS 118.015 to change the definition of "political party"; amend KRS 118.125 to require that the notification and declaration be in the form prescribed by the Secretary of State; amend KRS 118.129 to allow a contraction as an acceptable form of a candidate's name; amend KRS 118.165 to require that candidates for Commonwealth's Attorney file nomination papers with the Secretary of State; amend KRS 118.315 to require that the form of petition be prescribed by the Secretary of State; amend KRS 118.367 to specify that candidates for a special election or election for an unexpired term shall not be required to file a statement-of-candidacy form; require that the statement-of-candidacy form be prescribed by the Secretary of State; amend KRS 118A.060 to require that the petition for nomination be in the form prescribed by the Secretary of State; amend KRS 119.015 to remove the term "falsely"; amend KRS 119.165, relating to the penalty of a Class B misdemeanor regarding voters who vote at a regular or special election before being a citizen; make technical corrections; amend KRS 132.017 to require that questions as to whether the property tax rate shall be levied shall be submitted to voters in a common school election not less than 50 days nor more than 60 days from the date the signatures are validated; require the school district holding the election to post bond with the Circuit Court to cover the costs of the election within 5 days after the petition is found to be sufficient; amend KRS 160.210 to prohibit changes in the boundary of any division after June 1 in the year in which a school board member is to be elected; amend various statutes to conform; repeal KRS 118.551, relating to the definition of political party; EMERGENCY.

AI Summary

This bill makes numerous changes to Kentucky's election laws, including allowing the State Board of Elections to exchange data with other government agencies to investigate election offenses, requiring voting systems to meet or exceed standards set by the Election Assistance Commission (EAC), and ensuring county clerks provide necessary supplies for write-in votes before in-person voting begins. It also adjusts the deadline for write-in candidates for President and Vice President to match the certification of other candidates, mandates that county boards of elections deliver signature rosters and precinct results to the State Board of Elections within 10 days after an election, and requires county clerks to test automatic tabulating equipment after petitions for local option elections are filed. The bill redefines "political party" to require a candidate to have received at least 10% of the vote in the last election, standardizes the format for candidate notifications and declarations to be prescribed by the Secretary of State, and allows contractions as acceptable candidate names. It also specifies that candidates for Commonwealth's Attorney must file nomination papers with the Secretary of State, and that the Secretary of State will prescribe the form for petitions and statement-of-candidacy forms, while exempting candidates for special elections or unexpired terms from filing a statement-of-candidacy form. Additionally, the bill changes the deadline for submitting property tax rate questions to voters in common school elections and requires school districts holding such elections to post bond to cover costs. It also prohibits changes to school board division boundaries after June 1 in an election year for school board members. Finally, the bill includes provisions for the Administrative Office of the Courts to provide lists of individuals convicted of felonies to the State Board of Elections for voter registration purges, and establishes new procedures for non-citizen voter identification and provisional ballot casting, with an emergency clause declaring that many of these changes take effect immediately upon passage.

Committee Categories

Government Affairs

Sponsors (7)

Last Action

delivered to Secretary of State (Acts Ch. 175) (on 04/14/2026)

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