Kentucky 2026 Regular Session Status: In Committee 1 R cosponsors

HB 874 — AN ACT relating to elections.

Last action — to Elections, Const. Amendments & Intergovernmental Affairs (H)

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  1. ✓
    Introduced
  2. 2
    In Committee
  3. 3
    Passed House
  4. 4
    Passed Senate
  5. 5
    To Executive
  6. 6
    Enacted

This bill is in committee in the House. Introduced March 04, 2026. It must pass committee before a floor vote.

Next likely step: a committee vote, then a floor vote in the House.

Prognosis

Stalled 16% · moderate confidence

Where this bill stands today.

Odds of enactment

Low

How often bills like it became law.

  • In Committee

    Current position in the legislative process.

  • 1 sponsor

    1 primary, 0 co-sponsors signed on.

  • Single-party support

    Sponsorship is currently within one party (1 R).

Prognosis reads this bill's own signals — stage, sponsorship breadth, committee status, recorded votes and cross-state momentum. Odds come from a model trained on which bills have become law.

Summary

Amend KRS 116.055 to permit a registered independent to vote in the primary of 1 party for each primary opened by that party; require that an independent be registered as an independent on December 31 immediately preceding the primary; amend KRS 117.125 to require that electronic voting machines be reprogrammed to allow a registered independent to vote for a party's candidates in a primary; amend KRS 118.125 to prohibit a primary candidate from being a registered independent; EFFECTIVE December 1, 2027.

Bill Text

How this bill changes current law

7 changes Share ↗

Compared against the Kentucky Revised Statutes as published AI-generated reading aid — verify against the official bill.

The bill modifies voting qualifications in primaries and establishes new rules for independent voters participating in party primaries.

  • KRS 116.055

    Shall possess all the qualifications required of voters in a regular election; → Possess all the qualifications required of voters in a regular election;

    Changes the requirement from 'Shall' to a less mandatory form, indicating a shift to a more permissive language.

  • KRS 116.055

    Shall have been a registered member of the party in whose primary he or she seeks to vote on December 31 immediately preceding the primary; → Have been a registered member of the party in whose primary he or she seeks to vote or as an independent on December 31 immediately preceding the primary;

    Allows independent voters to register for a primary election under certain conditions.

  • KRS 116.055

    Shall have remained continuously registered as a member of that party in whose primary he or she seeks to vote between December 31 immediately preceding the primary and the date set for the primary. → Have remained continuously registered as a member of that party in whose primary he or she seeks to vote or as an independent between December 31 immediately preceding the primary and the date set for the primary.

    Similar to the previous change, it expands eligibility by allowing independent registration.

  • KRS 116.055

    No person shall be allowed to vote for any party candidates or slates of candidates other than that of the party of which he or she is a registered member. → A person qualified to vote in a primary shall not be allowed to vote: (a) In the primary of more than one (1) political party; and (b) For any party candidates or slates of candidates other than that of the party of which he or she is a registered member, except voters registered as an independent.

    Clarifies that independent voters can participate in party primaries under certain conditions.

  • KRS 116.055

    for any party candidates or slates of candidates other than that of the party of which he or she is a registered member. → for any party candidates or slates of candidates other than that of the party of which he or she is a registered member, except voters registered as an independent.

    Allows independent voters to engage with certain party nominations.

  • KRS 116.055

    Voters registered as independent who otherwise qualify to vote in a primary of a political party may only do so if the political party for the primary in which he or she seeks to participate has, by official action of its state executive committees, notified the Secretary of State on or before December 31 immediately preceding the primary of the political party's intent to allow registered independents to vote in that political party's primary.

    Establishes a requirement for political parties to notify intent to allow independent voters in their primaries.

  • KRS 117.125

    A voting system or voting equipment shall be approved for use by the State Board of Elections, either upon initial examination or reexamination, and voting equipment or a voting system shall not be purchased unless the system and equipment has been certified under KRS 117.379 and is so constructed that it shall: → No voting system or voting equipment shall not be approved for use after January 1, 2024, by the State Board of Elections, either upon initial examination or reexamination, and no voting equipment or voting system shall be purchased after July 14, 2022, unless the system and equipment has been certified under KRS 117.379 and is so constructed that it shall:

    Sets a deadline for certification and approval of voting systems and equipment, facilitating updated regulations.

Action History

  1. to Elections, Const. Amendments & Intergovernmental Affairs (H)

  2. to Committee on Committees (H)

  3. introduced in House

Sponsors

Sponsorship breakdown

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1 sponsors · 0 co-sponsors · 137 not signed on

Sponsors (1)

Co-sponsors (0)

None.

Not signed on (137)

137 members have not signed on to this bill.

Show all 137 →

"Not signed on" means a member has not sponsored or co-sponsored this bill — it does not imply opposition. Members flagged Voted No have a recorded No vote on this bill.

Whip count is in markup. Polling the chamber and every recorded vote this session. Only the first open is slow. It’s instant for you after this. Calling the roll · Tallying · Engrossing

Subjects

elections
Cross-referencing the record. Reading this bill against every other bill in the corpus by meaning, not keywords. Only the first open is slow. It’s instant for you after this. Matching · Ranking · Engrossing

Frequently asked questions

What does HB 874 do?
Amend KRS 116.055 to permit a registered independent to vote in the primary of 1 party for each primary opened by that party; require that an independent be registered as an independent on December 31 immediately preceding the primary; amend KRS 117.125 to require that electronic voting machines be reprogrammed to allow a registered independent to vote for a party's candidates in a primary; amend KRS 118.125 to prohibit a primary candidate from being a registered independent; EFFECTIVE December 1, 2027.
Who sponsors HB 874?
HB 874 is sponsored by Vanessa Grossl (Republican).
What is the current status of HB 874?
This bill is in committee in the House. Introduced March 04, 2026. It must pass committee before a floor vote.
Where can I track HB 874?
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