Voting Rights Restoration

Voting Rights Restoration for People with Prior Felony Convictions

The League of Women Voters of Lexington supports the work of the LWVKY in the effort to restore the voting rights of people who have completed sentencing for a felony conviction. Kentucky is one of only three states (Kentucky, Iowa, Virginia) that permanently disenfranchises anyone who has been convicted of any felony, unless those rights are restored by executive pardon.

Rights Restoration by Executive Order:

In 2019, Governor Andy Beshear issued an Executive Order automatically restoring voting rights to SOME people who have been convicted of felonies in Kentucky. Many people with past felony convictions may not be aware that their voting rights have been restored. The LWV of Lexington works to help individuals find out if they are eligible to vote because of the executive order. Find out more about this order and learn how to find out if your rights, or the rights of someone you know, have been restored here.

Constitutional Amendment:

The executive order was a helpful step. However, it did not restore the right to vote to everyone who had completed their sentences. It did not apply to every class of felony and did not apply to those people who were convicted outside of Kentucky. Over 150,000 Kentuckians remain disenfranchised because of a past conviction. The executive order can also be revoked by a future governor, meaning people who complete their sentences in the future may not have their rights restored. Because this barrier is enshrined in the Kentucky Constitution, a Constitutional Amendment is required to permanently remove it. The LWV of Lexington participates in the efforts of the LWVKY to advocate that the state legislature put this question on the ballot so that Kentuckians can vote to amend the Constitution to allow the automatic restoration of rights to every person who has completed their sentence.

Kentuckians Agree:

Mason Dixon Polling indicates that a strong majority of people of all parties in Kentucky support the automatic restoration of voting rights once a convicted person has completed their sentence. Furthermore, this majority is increasing. In a 2006 poll of Kentucky voters conducted by the UK Survey Research Center 56% of Kentuckians agreed. The most recent polling indicates 68% of Kentuckians approve of automatic restoration of voting rights. View the 2023 Mason Dixon polling strategy here for more information on the public opinion survey.

Fill out our Volunteer Form (linked above) or email the Committee Chair: tipton.moody@lwvlexington.com

Another path to Rights Restoration is Expungement of a Conviction Record. LWV of Lexington also supports expungement clinics, like this one that took place in December 2024:

Congratulations!

UK Law Professor, Josh Douglas, a member of the LWV of Lexington, has created a podcast, Democracy Optimist, featured on WEKU-FM radio, an NPR affiliate. In May 2024, he featured another LWV member, Debra Graner, who related her experience regaining her right to  vote and expunging her record! The podcast won an Edward R. Murrow regional award, which was announced this spring. Read about it here. Listen to the episode that won here (also available on Apple, Spotify, and other podcast platforms).