LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Today, Kentuckians For The Commonwealth, represented by Fair Elections Center and Jackson Cooper Law PLLC, resolved ongoing litigation filed in June 2024 challenging a Kentucky voter purge law. In response to the lawsuit, the Kentucky State Board of Elections has issued a new regulation that will greatly increase the accuracy of matching Kentucky voter registration against out-of-state records when another state reports a voter has moved.
This new rule, issued as an emergency rule and in effect immediately, ensures that Kentucky voters will not be removed from the rolls unless information regarding a move to another state has satisfied a rigorous process for matching name and other identifying data between the two states’ registration databases.
Because the State Board of Elections adopted this new regulation in response to the lawsuit, KFTC voluntarily dismissed its lawsuit by filing a notice with the court this morning. The new regulation is a victory for Kentucky voters and provides significant protections ahead of the November 2026 general election.
“Protecting the voting rights of Kentuckians is vital as we strive to build democracy,” said Lynne Anderson, KFTC leader from Shelby County. “This requirement to verify voting registrations accurately is a big win for all of us.”
“Every victory in the fight to defend voting rights is worth celebrating,” said Jon Sherman, Litigation Director at Fair Elections Center. “This emergency rule, adopted in response to our lawsuit, is a significant win for Kentucky voters who can now have much greater confidence that they will not be removed from the state’s voter rolls in error. It is essential to ensure that every voter who remains eligible to vote in Kentucky can make their voice heard.”
Background: In the absence of a voter’s written confirmation of a change in address, the National Voter Registration Act requires election officials to follow strict rules and procedures before removing a voter from the voter rolls if they believe the voter has moved and is no longer eligible to vote in their jurisdiction. These required steps include written notice and the opportunity to confirm their address before removal. Kentucky law currently skips these steps, allowing election officials to purge voters without notice or time to respond—thereby putting eligible voters at risk of being inaccurately removed due to mismatches or errors.
Kentuckians For The Commonwealth filed the lawsuit in the United States District Court for the Western District of Kentucky in June of 2024 against the state’s Secretary of State Michael Adams and the State Board of Elections, which includes members from both major parties.