Prisoners Legal Advocacy Network
244 5th Avenue, Suite 2517
New York, NY 10001
EP-Jail-Post-Release-Voting-Co-Leads@PLAN.lawyer
IN KENTUCKY CONTACT:
Info@ABLE-KY.org
Advocacy Based on Lived Experience (ABLE) builds and fosters trust among communities with lived experience and their communities through education, mobilization, and organization.
The Election Protection Jail & Post-Release Voting Working Group’s Guide For Presently & Formerly Incarcerated Voters In Kentucky was made possible by the generous contributions of state and national partners, including: Advocacy Based on Lived Experience (ABLE), the ACLU of Kentucky, the League of Women Voters of Kentucky, Kentuckians for the Commonwealth, Vocal Kentucky, Forward Justice Action Network, the Advancement Project, the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, and the Prisoners Legal Advocacy Network. The Guide’s analysis may not reflect the views of all contributors or their organizations. The Guide is provided for informational purposes only. It not legal advice. It is the responsibility of voters to determine how all applicable laws concerning voter eligibility, registration, and casting a ballot affect them. To learn more, visit the main page of this Portal.
Know Your Rights!
Voting & Rights Restoration Eligibility & Advocacy
Kentucky Voting Eligibility
If you are a Kentuckian who has been impacted by the criminal legal system, determining whether you are eligible to vote may seem complicated. The Decision Tree developed by Kentuckians for the Commonwealth may help Kentuckians with criminal convictions navigate the maze of determining whether they are eligible to vote!
Voting Rights Restoration In Kentucky
Kentucky is one of only three states that bans citizens from voting after any felony conviction. Restoring one’s voting rights following a felony conviction can be a long, difficult process and not everyone is eligible to restore their voting rights. The League of Women Voters of Kentucky has developed a detailed report that provides important information on this topic. See also Appendix 6 of the Voting Know Your Rights Guide For Presently & Formerly Incarcerated People in Kentucky.
Help Advocate For Change With ABLE
In addition to advocating for an end to felony disenfranchisement in Kentucky, ABLE is also actively challenging provisions of law that marginalize and exclude Kentuckians who have been impacted by the criminal system. This advocacy includes ABLE’s longstanding efforts to challenge Kentucky’s “Persistent Felony Offender” (PFO) Law. To join the community of advocates who are working to end felony disenfranchisement in Kentucky, contact Advocacy Based on Lived Experience (ABLE) at Info@ABLE-KY.org.
Building Community & Building Power
Lots of Ways to Get Involved!
Exciting Events
Mobilize For Change
Volunteer!
Community Organizing
We’ll Come To You!
Kentuckians Impacted By The Criminal Legal System
Timeline of Key Voting Events & Issues
2019: Gov. Beshear’s Executive Order Restored The Voting Rights Of Some Kentuckians With Felony Convictions
In 2019, Governor Andy Beshear signed an Executive Order that automatically restored the voting rights of many Kentuckians with felony convictions who have completed their term of incarceration, including any period of probation or parole, whether or not they have paid their restitution, fines, or other court-ordered monetary conditions. This means that many Kentuckians who were previously disenfranchised due to a felony conviction are now eligible to vote! However, this Order excludes many Kentuckians, such as those who were convicted of certain violent or elections offenses. Despite Governor Beshear’s Order, Kentucky still maintains one of the nation’s highest rates of citizens who are unable to vote because of a felony conviction. As of 2023,161,596 Kentuckians remained ineligible to vote because of their felony record.
Image Credit: Matt Stone/Courier Journal
Applying to Restore Your Voting Rights in Kentucky
Impacted Advocates & Allies Lobby For Reform
Impacted advocates and allies continue to lobby for legislative reform and an amendment to the Kentucky Constitution to increase incarcerated voters' access to the ballot and re-enfranchise formerly incarcerated Nevada citizens who are on probation or parole.
Pictured: Marcus Jackson, Advocacy Based On Lived Experience (ABLE)
Jail Voting In Kentucky
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Latest News & Updates
ABLE Continues Legislative Reform Efforts In Kentucky
Frankfort, Kentucky
2026 Legislative Session
Advocacy Based On Lived Experience (ABLE) Executive Director Marcus Jackson is continuing his advocacy for legislative reform of Kentucky’s Persistent Felony Offender Law and beyond. ABLE’s advocacy priorities for this legislative session includes challenges to SB 80, which proposes to expand the offenses included in Kentucky’s violent offender statute. https://ep-jail-voting-portal.plan.lawyer/kentucky/persistent-documentary-challenging-kentucky-pfo-law/
ABLE’s Service To Kentucky Communities
WPSD Channel 6
November 22, 2025
ABLE’s holistic service-oriented approach means going beyond advocacy campaigns to meet community members’ fundamental needs. It was in this spirit that ABLE joined a Paducah church to distribute 150 Thanksgiving meals to families struggling with increasing food prices. https://www.wpsdlocal6.com/news/paducah-church-and-local-nonprofit-hand-out-150-thanksgiving-meals/article_171e810f-6e6d-4a9d-9276-ff6e1469f80c.html
ABLE Challenges Kentucky’s Restrictive Voting Laws
WCPO Channel 9
May 21, 2024
On the date of Kentucky’s 2024 Primary Election, local ABC affiliate WCPO Channel 9 featured the efforts of ABLE’s Executive Director Marcus Jackson to challenge Kentucky’s restrictive voting laws, noting that that Kentucky is one of the most exclusionary in the country for people with felony convictions. In this segment, Jackson discusses his continuing disenfranchisement due to a conviction more than 20 years ago. ABLE seeks the amendment of the Kentucky Constitution to re-enfranchise Kentuckians with felony convictions.
Our Voice Is Our Power: Rights Restoration Virtual Gathering
Advancement Project
September 24-25, 2024
Advocacy Based On Lived Experience (ABLE) Founder and Executive Director Marcus Jackson co-facilitated a presentation about strategies, tactics, and lessons learned in the hard-fought struggles to restore the voting rights of people with felony convictions. Marcus discussed the Voting Guide For Presently & Formerly Incarcerated People in Kentucky as a critical tool for mobilization.
ABLE Hosts Pre-Election Gatherings Across Kentucky
Spectrum News
November 5, 2023
ABLE help several pre-election gatherings across the state to afford community members opportunities to get to engage with another and interact with elected officials. These events fortified community relationships and enabled impacted voters to ask candidates questions before they cast their vote. https://spectrumnews1.com/ky/louisville/news/2023/11/05/community-gathering
ABLE Launches To Amplify Voices Of Impacted People
WKU Public Radio
March 30, 2023
A Paducah native whose life was shaped by mass incarceration is working to amplify the voices of other formerly incarcerated Kentuckians, and end felony disenfranchisement in the state, through civic participation and community organizing. https://www.wkyufm.org/2023-03-30/paducah-native-launches-nonprofit-aimed-at-amplifying-voices-of-formerly-incarcerated-people
