FRANKFORT, KY – Secretary of State Michael Adams is thanking the General Assembly for sending House Bill 564 and Senate Bill 216 to Governor Andy Beshear’s desk.
“I appreciate the General Assembly working in a bipartisan manner to send House Bill 564 and Senate Bill 216 to the Governor’s desk,” said Adams. “Together, these bills will make voting easier, expand our existing audit process, add much needed legal protections for our election workers, and speed up our transition to universal paper ballots. I encourage Governor Beshear to sign these important measures.”
Changes in House Bill 564 include:
- Clarifies early voting locations must be open for 8 hours
- Adds 6 days of in-person absentee voting before early voting starts
- Codifies existing policy of not connecting voting machines to the internet, and makes it a felony to connect a voting machine to the internet
- Expands definition of “election worker” for purposes of protection from intimidation
Changes in Senate Bill 216 include:
- Doubles number of counties subjected to post-election audit
- Moves up full transition to paper ballots to January 1, 2024
- Places voting machines under video surveillance when not in operation
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