In the upcoming election, Kentucky voters will decide whether to amend the state constitution to restrict a governor’s ability to issue pardons and commute sentences in the weeks surrounding a gubernatorial election.
Amendment 1 would prohibit a governor from granting pardons or commuting sentences beginning 60 days before a gubernatorial election and continuing through inauguration, which is the fifth Tuesday after the election.
The proposal comes seven years after former Gov. Matt Bevin sparked controversy with pardons and commutations issued during his final days in office after losing the 2019 election…