FRANKFORT, Ky. — With the 2024 legislative session soon ending, Kentucky lawmakers will decide what constitutional amendment proposals will be on the ballot come November. As of Friday, two have received final passage and have been signed by the Secretary of State. 

What You Need To Know

  • Voters will decide this November if they want to amend the state Constitution

  • So far, two ballot measures have been passed by lawmakers

  • One relates to school choice, the other covers voting eligibility 

  • A maximum of four constitutional amendments can appear on the ballot 

House Bill 2, which has been highly divisive, would allow state dollars to go to private or charter schools. Something not currently allowed under the state Constitution. 

“I expect we would see a ton of money pour into defeating any constitutional amendment that tries to broaden the options for schooling for kids,” Dr. Stephen Voss, associate political science professor at the University of Kentucky, said. 

The other bill, SB 143, would prevent non-citizens from voting in Kentucky elections. This is already not allowed in the state, but cities in other parts of the country have allowed it in certain local elections. 

“So what we’re seeing is Republicans trying to anticipate the sort of progressive policies that judges might impose on them and trying to block them ahead of time,” Voss said. 

In all, 30 bills were filed this year to amend the state Constitution. Lawmakers may put a maximum of four on the ballot, but Voss explains more is not always better. 

“That can lead to a sort of overload where voters are less likely to vote on any of the constitutional amendments. Or they might be slightly biased toward just rejecting them all, figuring it’s too much work to figure out what they do, and they’d rather stick with the status quo.”

Unlike other kinds of bills, the governor cannot veto these measures, but he can speak out against them. Gov. Andy Beshear, D-Kentucky, has stated he opposed state dollars going to private education. 

Since his veto is not applicable, lawmakers have until the last day of the legislative session to pass any additional ballot measure bills. 

Something to keep in mind on Election Day, people who choose to vote straight ticket must also vote on each constitutional amendment. 

Voss adds that down-ballot races and measures like amendments historically don’t see as much participation as the more popular races. 

“Constitutional amendments typically appear at the end and therefore, a lot of people just choose not to participate in those,” Voss said. “Maybe because they don’t understand what’s going on, but maybe just because they don’t want to stick around long enough to register their choices on every choice that they have to make on their ballot.”

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