Posted by: KFTC Staff on January 13, 2020
Over 40 people from 22 organizations gathered yesterday in Frankfort to celebrate our recent victories around voting rights, come to a shared understanding of Beshear’s executive order, to plan our work in the General Assembly to pass a robust constitutional amendment, and to start to think about how we can work together to register the estimated 140,000 Kentuckians who just regained the right to vote.
Our legislative focus between now and April 15 will be on HB 6, Charles Booker’s bill to restore voting rights to all Kentuckians after they’ve served their time. This bill is still needed because it doesn’t have the same exclusions as Beshear’s Executive order and it would be permanent.
To make a difference in this campaign in just a few minutes, you can call the Legislative Message Line (800-372-7181) and leave a message for your senator and representative, plus House and Senate Leadership to say that you “support HB 6.”
Posted by: KFTC Staff on January 13, 2020
We won a major victory late last year when Governor Andy Beshear signed an executive order restoring the right to vote to an estimated 140,000 people with felonies in their past.
Our allies at the Campaign Legal Center put together a great tool at www.Restoreyourvote.org to help people figure out whether Andy Beshear's Executive Order applies to them.
It asks a series of questions to determine if someone can register to vote, and if so, connects you with an online voter registration portal. For people excluded from the executive order but who have served their time, there's still the option of requesting voting rights through an individual partial pardon from the Governor.
Exclusions in the executive order are:
Posted by: KFTC Staff on January 7, 2020
We don't always get the candidates we want or deserve. Sometimes bad politicians go unopposed on election day or we're forced to choose between the "lesser of two evils." We do the best we can with the candidates we have, keeping our eyes on our vision and longterm meaningful political change, but our voter work sure is more fun and more impactful with great candidates.
We are Kentuckians. We are our own best chance for change. Maybe we're the candidates we've been waiting for. Maybe you know and respect someone who would run for office if you encouraged them to. Maybe it's time that you run for office yourself.
Posted by: KFTC Staff on December 23, 2019
In 2020, all state representative seats and half of our state senate seats are up for lection in addition to all US house of representative seats and one US Senate seat (currently held by Mitch McConnell)
If you're already registered in Kentucky, Monday Dec 31 is the last day top "lock in" your political party choice for purposes of voting in May primary elections for those races or for purposes of becoming a candidate in one of those races.
Posted by: Kentucky Voting Rights Coalition on December 23, 2019
On December 12, Governor Andy Beshear helped Kentucky take a historic step forward. With the twirl of a pen, 140,000 previously disenfranchised members of our commonwealth were re-empowered with the right to vote. Years of conversations, meetings, phone calls, and work by people with felonies in their past created the grassroots support needed to bring us to this moment.
Over a hundred of us attended and cheered as the governor signed the order and stated his support for a constitutional amendment to restore voting rights. There is much to be lauded about this act, including the explicit exclusion of any requirement that fines and fees be paid to qualify for restoration. 140,000 is truly a huge number, and a step towards helping disenfranchised people regain a sense of normalcy within society.
This is what a healthy democracy is about – allowing people who have a stake in the decisions made by elected officials to have a voice in deciding who those officials are. It’s fundamental to who we are as a state and a nation.
We, the Kentucky Voter Rights Restoration Coalition, are a network of 30+ similarly minded community groups working to ensure that every person who is denied the right to vote has that right restored. We believe that once a person has served their time, they have the right to re-engage with society.
Posted by: KFTC Staff on December 17, 2019
On Thursday, Governor Andy Beshear signed an executive order to restore voting rights for an estimated 140,000 people with felonies in their past. It’s an overwhelming and powerful victory 15 years in the making that has the potential to deepen our Democracy in Kentucky. And with a truer Democracy, so much is possible.
Posted by: Debbie Graner on December 10, 2019
Today, I stood in the cold for hours at Andy Beshear’s inauguration because I believe in democracy, and I’m really proud of his win and what it means for the future of Kentucky. I worked hard with Kentuckians For The Commonwealth to get him elected, making phone calls and talking to people on their doorstep. But I couldn't vote for him.
Posted by: Shirlisa Arnold on December 5, 2019
I wasn't sure what to expect from my first SOKY chapter meeting.
Posted by: KFTC Staff on December 4, 2019
When anti-rooftop solar bill SB 100 passed the state legislature in 2019, members of the KFTC New Energy and Transition Committee feared that the Kentucky Public Service Commission might
Posted by: Maria Truitt on November 25, 2019
To be in a room filled with so much talent and passion. Openness to have difficult conversations, and brilliance in finding solutions to heavy issues.
