January 21, 2020
The Appeal
Less than a month after newly sworn-in Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear signed an executive order restoring the right to vote to roughly 140,000 people with felony convictions who have completed their sentences, state Republicans
January 13, 2020 at 10:52pm
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.”
January 13, 2020 at 10:38pm
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:
December 23, 2019 at 10:39am
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.
December 17, 2019 at 04:03pm
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.
December 10, 2019 at 04:10pm
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.
November 7, 2019 at 12:19pm
Congratulations, Kentucky – we chose a new governor! We did it by choosing each other – by having conversations with our neighbors about the issues we care about and by showing up together at the polls.
Governor-elect Andy Beshear’s campaign knocked on one million doors. Ally organizations engaged voters across the state. And more than 300 KFTC members and volunteers had conversations with more than 50,000 Kentuckians at their front doors, on the phone and at community events.
Together, we made an impact. And we can’t slow down.
October 25, 2019
The Courier-Journal
AN ESTIMATED 312,000 KENTUCKIANS CAN'T VOTE BECAUSE OF A FELONY CONVICTION. THAT COULD CHANGE AFTER THE STATE'S GUBERNATORIAL ELECTION ON NOV. 5.
October 16, 2019 at 01:14am
As the 2019 governor’s election looms close, KFTC members are continuing the fight to restore voting rights of people with felonies. The campaign is gaining momentum and getting stronger every week.
Here are a few highlights of recent work:
August 21, 2019 at 03:13pm
Our campaign to restore voting rights to 312,000 people with felonies in their past continues to move forward as we enter election season, with work happening all over the state.
We asked candidates for Governor and Secretary of State about where they stand on this issue. Read those responses, and learn more about all of the statewide candidates on the ballot this fall, at our voter guide.
Our work to register and educate voters this year and build our electoral muscles is absolutely key to winning this issue. We plan on registering more than 2,000 voters, and talking with 62,500 voters in the next few months. It’s a big job, but it’s worth it. You can find ways to get involved or support this work here.
