Kentucky

Citizenship voting requirement sparks debate among Kentucky's representatives

Published

7 months ago

April 11, 2025

Citizenship voting requirement sparks debate among Kentucky's representatives

LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Advocates say the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act would maintain integrity in our elections. But opponents of the bill claim it might disenfranchise millions of voters across the country, including here in Kentucky.

What You Need To Know

The Safeguard American Voter Eligibility Act would require in-person citizenship proof before voting in a federal election

The U.S. House has passed the bill and it is on its way to the Senate

Advocates claim it ensures election integrity, opponents claim it will disenfranchise millions

Kentucky’s representatives are divided on the issue

As the SAvE Act heads to the Senate, opponents of the bill express concern for what the bill could do to the millions of voters it’s supposed to protect.

The bill would amend the National Voter Registration Act so states would require proof of citizenship to register to vote in federal elections.

Democrat Morgan McGarvey was the only Kentucky congressional representative to vote against the bill.

He said the bill could make it much harder for people to across Kentucky to vote.

For example, he said women who have changed their last names after their marriage would have a much harder time registering to vote, but they wouldn’t be the only group affected.

“It makes it harder for seniors to vote because you have to do it in-person now. It makes it harder for our troops and active military to vote because you have to do it in person. A military ID is not a sufficient form of identification, even if you are serving on a base in the United States military.”

The rest of Kentucky’s representatives have endorsed the bill, with Rep. Andy Barr, R-Lexington, taking to X to post “I voted for the SAVE Act to protect the integrity of our elections. Only American citizens should have a say in America’s future.”

I voted for the SAVE Act to protect the integrity of our elections. Only American citizens should have a say in America’s future.https://t.co/FqukAYr4f5
— Congressman Andy Barr (@RepAndyBarr) April 10, 2025

But local leaders with the ACLU said the bill is looking to solve a problem that virtually doesn’t exist.

The ACLU and McGarvey both said local election officials have not had to deal with any sort of election fraud.

Amber Duke, executive director with the ACLU Kentucky, urged voters to call their senators to tell them to vote against the bill.

She also likened the bill to a poll tax because the proof needed to show citizenship often isn’t readily on-hand and can be costly for people who may need to order the necessary proof.

“Folks who are not able to obtain a birth certificate might need something like a U.S. passport. I think currently it costs $130 in order to obtain a passport. There are simply people who do not have that level of funds to secure the documentation that would be needed in order for them to register to vote.”

The bill now heads to the Senate for a vote.

The Kentucky Attorney General’s office said it received more than 700 complaints during the 2024 General Election cycle. Of the most serious complaints listed, there were nine complaints of felons voting and 11 complaints of a person voting more than once.

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Kentucky

Addictive kratom byproduct could become a Schedule I drug in Kentucky

Published

4 hours ago

November 9, 2025

Press Room

Addictive kratom byproduct could become a Schedule I drug in Kentucky

FRANKFORT, Ky. (FOX 56) — Gov. Andy Beshear’s administration is taking steps to classify a form of kratom, a popular legal stimulant known to possess opioid-like qualities in low doses, as a Schedule I narcotic.

According to a press release on Nov. 5 from Beshear’s office, leaders are targeting the 7-hydroxymitragynine (7-OH) byproduct, making it illegal to sell, possess, or distribute in any isolated or concentrated form.

“We have marked three straight years of declines in overdose deaths in Kentucky, and that is progress we’re committed to building on as we work to protect more lives in the fight against addiction,” said Gov. Beshear. “Deadly and addictive drugs like 7-OH have no place in our communities, and this step will help us get these drugs off the streets and provide us more tools to keep Kentuckians safe.”

Officials wrote that while 7-OH is a naturally occurring component in the kratom plant, it’s only found in small amounts. Highly concentrated forms of it are put in shots, powders, and capsules at dosages that make it highly addictive and dangerous.

State leaders said that back in August, Beshear issued an emergency designation of bromazolam, also known as “designer Xanax,” as a Schedule 1 drug. The Cabinet of Health and Family Services is reportedly working to put 7-OH kratom in the same category alongside heroin, LSD, and fentanyl.

More information about the Beshear administration’s work to ban 7-OH in Kentucky can be found here.

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Kentucky

Cutter Boley and the Cats are Rallying behind Mark Stoops

Published

22 hours ago

November 9, 2025

Press Room

Cutter Boley and the Cats are Rallying behind Mark Stoops

The temperature of Mark Stoops‘ seat has been toasty. Criticism for the Kentucky head coach has not been hard to find, and it was amplified after the Wildcats dropped consecutive SEC games at Kroger Field.

Players and coaches will say they don’t pay attention to the noise, but let’s be real. They’re human. It’s unavoidable. As Big Blue Nation debated on Stoops’ future at Kentucky, his players rallied behind him.

“We hate it. We’re kind of taking it on our shoulders and putting it on ourselves,” Kentucky quarterback Cutter Boley said after the game.

Even though Stoops may have lost some fans in recent weeks, he never lost the locker room. Win or loss, they showed up to work because that’s the approaches every single day.

“He’s a players’ coach. All the guys in here love him. All the guys want to fight for him, want to win for him, everything like that. We have a really good thing going in the locker room. You can see our heartbeat that we had tonight,” said Boley.

“Everybody loves Coach Stoops, what he does, and what he stands for, and how he addresses the team in every situation, loss, win, no matter what it is. He’s always the same guy. Loss, win, whatever it is. He’s always the same guy in the locker room. He’s always the same guy talking to us on Mondays, no matter the outcome. And I think every guy respects that and really wants to play for him.”

That feeling has manifested in exceptional play from this Kentucky football team, especially at quarterback. Over Boley’s last three starts at Kroger Field, the redshirt freshman has completed 75-97 (77.3%) passes for 756 yards (252 per game) and seven touchdowns. His play has elevated his teammates, giving Kentucky a shocking amount of late-season momentum.

For years, Kentucky relied on transfer portal players to start under center. For the first time in a long time, the Wildcats have a proficient passer they recruited from the high school ranks. Stoops is proud to see Boley develop into the player they believed he could become.

“I’ve believed in Cutter for a long time, for many years, three, four years. I’m really proud of him, the growth that he’s making, and the improvement that he’s making each and every week,” said Stoops. “It gives everybody some hope.”

Hope. That was hard to find around this Kentucky football team, but inside the locker room, it never wavered. That hope turned into unshakable confidence in a dominant victory over Florida.

“To be honest, this whole week, this whole day, we came with juice,” Boely said. “Everybody was excited, and everybody was ready to play. We had felt, not that we had won this game before we came out here, but we were so confident. We had a heartbeat tonight.”

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