Politics
Kentucky Amendment 1 would pause pardons during governor election transitions
A proposed constitutional amendment on Kentucky’s 2026 ballot would bar governors from issuing pardons or reducing criminal sentences from 60 days before a gubernatorial election through inauguration day. Supporters cite former Gov. Matt Bevin’s late-term clemency decisions; Gov. Andy Beshear says voters should address such conduct at the ballot box instead.
Kentucky voters will decide in November whether to restrict the governor’s power to grant pardons and commute criminal sentences during the transition surrounding a gubernatorial election.
Amendment 1 would bar clemency beginning 60 days before the election and lasting through inauguration day. The governor’s authority would remain unchanged at other times.
The proposal follows former Gov. Matt Bevin’s decision to issue more than 400 pardons and sentence commutations in the final days of his term in 2019, a move that drew widespread controversy.
State Sen. Chris McDaniel, a sponsor of the amendment, said the restriction is meant to guard against abuse of the power. He argued that allowing a governor to intervene in criminal cases shortly before leaving office could undermine the justice system.
Beshear has said Bevin’s actions went too far, including pardons for people convicted of serious crimes, but opposes changing the state constitution in response. He said voters should reject candidates who misuse the authority rather than limit the power of future governors.
If approved, Amendment 1 would apply around gubernatorial elections. The vote would determine whether Kentucky places a new, temporary limit on a governor’s clemency authority at a politically sensitive point in the transfer of power.