Constitutional Amendments

A constitutional amendment is a change to a constitution, in this case the Kentucky state constitution. A state constitution contains the laws that govern a state. For both, a “yes” vote would amend the constitution, and a “no” vote would keep it as it currently stands.

See how these amendments will look on your ballot here.

Amendment 1:

Update 11/5: Amendment 1 has passed

You will be asked to vote YES or NO to amending the constitution to prohibit persons who are not citizens of the United States from being allowed to vote in the Commonwealth of Kentucky.

Voting Yes means the constitution will be amended to prohibit people who are not a U.S. citizen from voting.

Voting No means the state constitution will not change.

Context: The state constitution already requires voters to be a U.S. citizen to vote. However, according to bill sponsor State Rep. Jason Howell (R-Murray), the language in the constitution “doesn’t stop anyone expressly that’s not a U.S. citizen from voting”. Opponents state that the constitution already prohibits noncitizens from voting and that this bill focuses on a “hypothetical problem” (Cassie Chambers Armstrong, D- Louisville). While noncitizens are not allowed to vote in Kentucky, proponents of this legislation cite the City of San Francisco recently allowing noncitizens to vote in school board elections. (Information adapted from this article)

Amendment 2:

Update 11/5: Amendment 2 has failed

You will be asked to vote YES or NO to add a section to the state constitution that enables the state government to use public tax dollars to support schools who are outside the system of common (public) schools.

Voting Yes would amend the state constitution to allow the state government to spend public tax dollars on financial support for private and/or charter schools.

Voting No means the state constitution will not change. Public tax dollars will not be allowed to provide financial support for private and/or charter schools.

Context: Currently the state constitution prohibits public tax dollars from being used to support private or charter schools. This amendment was first introduced by Kentucky State Representative Susan Miles (R-7th District) as House Bill 2 during the 2024 state legislative session.

Supporters of the amendment argue that it will give parents more choice as to where they can send their children to school and what type of education they receive.

Opponents argue that this amendment will lead to revenue losses in public schools, and that private and charter schools would not be available in rural and economically disadvantaged areas of Kentucky. (Information adapted from this article)