Election reform

• Ban on “ballot harvesting”: Third parties generally may not collect and return others’ completed mail ballots. Return is limited to the voter or specified people, including family, household members, and caregivers, with penalties for improper possession or delivery.
• Paper ballots and a voter-verified paper audit trail: New voting systems must use a paper ballot the voter can verify, preserve that paper record for audits and recounts, and produce audit logs. Existing certified equipment could remain until replaced.
• Faster voter-roll maintenance: When another jurisdiction notifies Kentucky that a person has registered there, the State Board of Elections must remove that name within five days, except during closed-book periods before an election.
• Audits and recounts: The bill required election-audit rules, including risk-limiting audits, and created automatic recounts for very close races of 0.5% or less for constitutional officers, members of Congress, and General Assembly members, with additional recount options for some offices.
• Portal identity checks and chain-of-custody rules: The absentee portal must verify identity, while drop boxes and ballot handling are subject to monitoring and custody requirements.
• Assistance and other rules: Voters who need help at the polls take an oath stating the reason, and penalties apply for furnishing absentee ballots when not allowed.