First we would like to thank Sarah Firebaugh for her research and forwarding her findings to us.

Sara sent a question to the LRC and this is how the interaction went

*UPDATE New Information comming soon*

Question: How many times has the Independent Voter issue been before the Kentucky General Assembly since 1976, and what were the results?

Background: SB 53, an act that would allow Independent voters to cast votes in the primary, passed through the Senate in 2010.  This is the first time the measure has passed a chamber.  For many years, legislators have been trying to grant access to the primary races to voters registered as Independents.  Problems arise due to the fact that the primary nomination process is intended to select the best candidate to represent each party in the general election.  By allowing non party members to select their candidates, the winner could have diluted ideologies and be less able to compete against the other side.  According to the Kentucky Board of Elections, there are currently around 186, 000 registered Independents.  This number represents less than 8% of the voting population.  Despite the relatively small numbers of registered Independents, the Kentucky Independent voter movement has gained attention in the national media.  A CNN reporter followed the chairman of Independent Kentucky to the state capital and recorded his push for 2010’s Senate Bill 53.  Chairman Michael Lewis presented testimony in favor of SB 53 at the Senate State and Local Government Committee meeting on January 20, 2010 (IndependentKentucky.org).  This issue will most likely be addressed by the General Assembly in future sessions.

The idea lay dormant for 20 years, but in 2002 it was revived again.  At this time, the bill became focused on three aspects: 1) to permit a registered independent to vote in the primary of one party, 2) provide that the primary candidate shall not be a registered independent, and 3) alter electronic voting machines to allow a registered independent to vote for a party’s candidate As stated in the 2002 Legislative Record, HB 482, sponsored by Representatives Corner, Marzian, Heleringer and Nunn was introduced in the House on Jan 24th, sent to the House Elections committee on the 25^th, posted on the 5^th of February, but the posting was withdrawn on the 12^th.  Later on that session, Senator Moore tried to tack the bill onto HB 31 with a floor amendment, but the House refused to concur (Legislative Record, 2002).  In the 2004 session, Representative Harper introduced HB 184.  It was sent to committee but never posted.

In recent years, Jimmy Higdon, both as a Representative and a Senator has sponsored this bill.  In 2009, he introduced HB 17.  It was sent to two different committees, and posted, but the measure failed.  In 2010, the issue was introduced in the Senate, made it through the State and Local Government committee, and passed with Senate Floor amendment #1: 25-12.  Once again it was introduced in the House, posted in committee, but the measure did not pass.  One representative on the committee saw it as an issue that should be dealt with during the Interim rather than the budget year.  Kentucky law has never permitted Independents to vote in state primary elections, but they have always been free to participate in the general election.  It is clear from the progression of these bills that this will remain an important issue in the future.