26RS HB 534

House Bill 534

Actions

Last Action	02/02/26: to Committee on Committees (H)
Title	AN ACT relating to elections and declaring an emergency.
Bill Documents	Introduced
Fiscal Impact Statement	Local Mandate
Bill Request Number	1334
Sponsors	DJ Johnson, J. Hodgson
Summary of Original Version	Amend KRS 30A.145 to require the Administrative Office of the Courts to prepare an all-time list each month of persons convicted of a felony, including persons whose cases are on appeal, and provide the list to the State Board of Elections; amend KRS 83A.040 to require a special election if more than the majority of the membership of a legislative body is vacated because of an election error due to no fault of any candidate or fraud; establish that members of the legislative body whose term expires shall remain in office until the contest and any appeals of the regular election are complete and final; create a new section of KRS Chapter 116 to require the State Board of Elections to compare the statewide voter registration system against the Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements Program, or its successor program, each month to remove registered voters who are not citizens of the United States within 5 days; require the State Board of Elections to forward the name, date of birth, last known address, and voter registration record of any individual who is removed to the Attorney General; require the State Board of Elections to notify the county clerk of the county in which the voter lived of the removal; amend KRS 116.113 to specify that the Administrative Office of the Courts shall include persons convicted of a felony whose case is on appeal in the lists they send to the State Board of Elections for removal from the voter registration records; create a new section of KRS Chapter 117 to define "cast vote record"; allow county clerks to use a ballot verifier software program to produce electronic images of cast ballots and cast vote records for public inspection, as long as the records do not contain voter-identifying information; allow counties to use the software program to perform additional audits; establish that the State Board of Elections shall promulgate administrative regulations to establish uniform standards for formatting, publication, and redaction of images of ballots and cast vote records; amend KRS 117.125 to establish that no voting equipment or voting systems shall be purchased after the effective date of the Act that utilize non-human readable codes, including barcodes, QR codes, or other encrypted markings to represent or tabulate a voter's choices on the ballot; amend KRS 117.383 to require that the ballot scanner and race selected for a hand-to-eye recount by the Secretary of State shall have at least 10 votes cast; amend KRS Chapter 118.176 to establish that a person who successfully challenges the bona fides of a candidate may recover certain costs; create a new chapter of KRS Chapter 118A to establish that judicial candidates may disclose their political party, state current and past voter registration status, and communicate political values or viewpoints consistent with that party affiliation; establish that judicial candidates shall not claim to be the official nominee of a political party, use language or materials that imply nomination, designation, or endorsement by a political party, or use party symbols, slogans, or imagery in a manner that would lead someone to believe they are running in a partisan election; amend KRS 120.165 to require the county clerk and local board of elections to call a special election if a majority of the offices of a legislative body are deemed vacant; establish that a person bringing a successful election contest may recover certain costs; amend KRS 121.015 to define "executive committee of a political party"; amend KRS 121.150 to allow federal candidates to contribute to a party executive committee if the amount of the contribution is within contribution limits and if the contribution is not earmarked for any particular candidate or slate of candidates; specify that a qualified political party committee, including a state or county executive committee, may endorse, support, oppose, and make contributions or expenditures to nonpartisan candidates; EMERGENCY.
Index Headings of Original Version	Local Mandate - Legislative body, vacancy, special election Attorney General - Voter registration, election crime, determination Campaign Finance - Contributions, political party committee, nonpartisan candidates Campaign Finance - Executive committee of a political party, definition Campaign Finance - Federal candidates, contribution, party executive committee Cities - Legislative body, vacancy, special election County Clerks - Ballot verifier software platform, public access, audit County Clerks - Cast vote record, ballot image, public access County Clerks - Voter registration, felony conviction, removal Court Of Appeals - Bona fides, challenge, costs, recovery Court Of Appeals - Election contest, costs, recovery Courts - Felony conviction, voting, reporting requirements Courts - Judicial candidates, political affiliation, conduct Courts, Circuit - Bona fides, challenge, costs, recovery Courts, Circuit - Election contest, costs, recovery Effective Dates, Emergency - Elections, campaign finance, procedures, deadline Elections And Voting - Cast vote record, definition Elections And Voting - Equipment, non-human readable codes, prohibit Elections And Voting - Hand-to-eye recount, random selection, requirements Fees - Candidates, bona fides, court costs State Agencies - Board of elections, voter registration, list maintenance Local Government - Legislative body, vacancy, special election Secretary Of State - Hand-to-eye recount, random selection, requirements State Agencies - Board of Elections, ballot images, cast vote records, regulations