State Senate approves voting rights measures - Harlan Enterprise

State Senate approves voting rights measures

Published 6:00 pm Sunday, February 22, 2026

FRANKFORT, Ky. (KT) – The Kentucky Senate on Friday approved several measures, including one to restore voting rights for most convicted felons after completing their sentences, and another to require photo IDs when voting.

Sen. Lindsey Tichenor, R-Smithfield is sponsor of legislation which would eliminate Social Security and EBT cards, neither of which have photos of the cardholder on them, as forms of ID you can use to verify your identification when signing in at polling locations.

“Senate Bill 154 will further strengthen integrity in the state of Kentucky, and remove any potential for potential voter fraud,” she told her colleagues when presenting the bill on the Senate floor. “Across the state and across the nation, people are calling for photo IDs in order to vote.”

She noted this is not an onerous requirement. “You have to show a photo ID in a variety of places across the state. In order to enter buildings, purchase things, rent equipment or cars, hotels; you have to show a photo ID.”

Sen. Cassie Chambers Armstrong, D-Louisville, the Minority Whip, spoke against the bill. “What this bill does is make it harder for people to vote, even though we have no evidence that any of the thousand people who voted using these means of identification in the last election did so fraudulently.”

She also stated that a social security card is used as a means of identification to get other means of identification, such as a passport or Real ID.

The bill passed 31-7.

SB 80, sponsored by Sen. Jimmy Higdon, R-Lebanon, is a proposed Constitutional Amendment to restore voting rights to many convicted felons, upon completion of their prison sentence and probation or parole.

He said, “This body passed identical legislation in 2020 by a 29-7 vote. It got to the House orders of the day, but the session was cut short dur to COVID. I strongly believe that had it not been cut short, the Constitutional Amendment would have passed and been on the November ballot.”

Higdon added, the bill includes exceptions to automatic restoration. “Election fraud, violent felony offenses, felony sexual offenses and criminal offenses against a child.”

The bill was approved 35-3.

Both measures now head to the House.