Kentucky legislation · 2026 Regular Session
Kentucky HB855: AN ACT relating to persons entitled to vote.
Status: In committee, March 10, 2026
Amend KRS 116.025 to permit voters 16 and 17 years of age to vote in local school board elections upon local approval by a school board; create a new section of KRS Chapter 116 to require county clerks to administer the registration and voting of persons 16 and 17 years of age; allow voters who are 16 and 17 years of age to receive ballots limited to school board contests; require the State Board of Elections to promulgate administrative regulations to establish the procedure for persons 16 and 17 years of age to register and vote for school board elections.
What the bill says
An act relating to persons entitled to vote.
From the introduced text:
AN ACT relating to persons entitled to vote. WHEREAS, school boards exercise significant authority over policies that shape the daily lives and academic futures of public school students; and WHEREAS, permitting residents who are 16 and 17 years of age to vote in school board elections, when approved by a local school board, encourages informed civic participation while preserving local control; NOW, THEREFORE, Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Kentucky: Section 1. KRS 116.025 is amended to read as follows: (1) Every person who is a citizen of the United States, a resident of this state, and a resident of the precinct in which he or she offers to vote on or before the day preceding the closing of the registration books for any primary, regular[general], or special election, who possesses on the day of any election the qualifications set forth in Section 145 of the Constitution, exclusive of the durational residency requirements, who is not disqualified under that section or under any other statute, and who is registered as provided in this chapter, may vote for all officers to be elected by the people and on all public questions submitted for determination at that election, in the precinct in which he or she is qualified to vote. Any person who shall have been convicted …
Sponsors
- Rachel Roarx (D, HD-038) · primary sponsor
- Anne Donworth (D, HD-076)
- George Brown (D, HD-077)
- Beverly Chester-Burton (D, HD-044)
- Sarah Stalker (D, HD-034)
Latest actions
- : to Elections, Const. Amendments & Intergovernmental Affairs (H)
- : to Committee on Committees (H)
- : introduced in House
Subjects: State Agencies, Elections And Voting, Children And Minors, Boards And Commissions, Local Mandate, County Clerks
Common questions
- What is HB855?
- HB855 is a bill in the Kentucky Legislature (2026 Regular Session): AN ACT relating to persons entitled to vote.
- What does HB855 do?
- In its own words: An act relating to persons entitled to vote.
- What is the status of HB855?
- In committee as of March 10, 2026. Latest action: to Elections, Const. Amendments & Intergovernmental Affairs (H) (March 10, 2026).
- Who sponsored HB855?
- Rachel Roarx (D, HD-038), with 4 co-sponsors.
- Where is the official record for HB855?
- On the Kentucky Legislature website: https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/record/26rs/hb855.html
Source: official Kentucky record. Tracked by Delilah, AI for legislation across all 50 states and Congress.