2026 Ballot Questions

The 2026 general election will include both a state ballot question and, for voters in Lexington-Fayette County, 3 local ballot questions.

Statewide Ballot Question:

Under Kentucky’s state constitution, governors currently have the power to remit fines and forfeitures, commute sentences, grant reprieves, and issue pardons.
In 2026 the General Assembly approved SB10, a bill to place an amendment to Kentucky’s Constitution on the ballot limiting this authority “for the period beginning sixty days prior to the date of the gubernatorial election and ending the fifth Tuesday succeeding the election.”
SB10 also changes wording referring to the governor to reflect gender neutral language.
These changes will take effect if a majority votes YES on the measure in the 2026 General Election.

Click the button to read the entire wording of SB10, the bill proposing the changes. Underlining and italics indicate proposed changes to the current constitution.

SB10

See all legislative sponsors and vote history of SB10 on the Legislative Research Committee website HERE.

Find out more about this proposed amendment and the history of gubernatorial pardons in Kentucky from the nonpartisan website Ballotpedia HERE.

 

Local ballot measures for Lexington-Fayette County:

In 2026 CivicLex organized Lexington’s first ever Civic Assembly. A randomly-selected representative group of residents considered 3 questions about potential changes to the LFUCG charter. After education and deliberation the Civic Assembly passed 3 recommendations. On June 18, the Lexington City Council voted to put these proposed changes before voters with ballot referendums. These proposals are:

  1. Increase annual Councilmember pay to $59,987 per year, the average annual wage in Lexington, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. If passed, this pay increase would take effect in 2031 and be indexed to inflation.

  2. Mandate that Council create publicly viewable attendance and accountability expectations for the Urban County Council.

  3. Review the Urban County Charter every eight years by a body of residents selected by representative lottery. And create a new standing board or commission to identify potential needed changes to the Charter between reviews and to facilitate each review.

Read the ordinance and the council vote record for each ballot question:
1. Council Pay
2. Accountability
3. Charter Review

Learn more about these recommendations HERE.

Learn more about how CivicLex organized the Civic Assembly HERE.

Find materials and recaps from the Civic Assembly HERE.

Subscribe to CivicLex’s free weekly newsletter HERE.