In other news now, more than 160,000 Kentuckians can't vote due to felony convictions, according to a new report from the League of Women Voters of Kentucky.

Senate Bill 164, if passed, could change that.

It would put a constitutional amendment on the ballot, letting you, the voter, decide if voting rights should be automatically restored for those who have completed their sentences.

The future of democracy in Kentucky rests on the ability of all citizens to have their voices heard.

The permanent ban on voting for those with a felony conviction not only silences a 161,596 Kentuckians, but it also undermines the fundamental principles of our democracy.

Being arrested doesn't mean that your citizenship is taken away.

We need to make this place a place where everyone, whether they been justice involved, whether they are returning citizens, whatever it might be, feel as if they are citizens in the United States.

Voting is extremely important part of our democracy and our citizenship.

Kentucky has one of the highest disenfranchisement rates in the nation.

It would be wonderful to include Kentucky among states that are moving to expand and strengthen democracy as opposed to suppress it.

Folks have been fighting for this over 20 plus years here in Kentucky.

It's about dignity.

It's about humanity.

And it's about letting people know that we see you and we want to hear you.

We should let Kentucky decide if we should be equal in the democratic process.

And fear of who people are going to vote for is not an excuse.

It is time for the legislature to take action and empower the people of Kentucky to make a choice about who has a say in our democracy.

We need the citizens of this state to make the statement to vote, to change the amendment, to make it permanent and very clear, and not rely on the voice of one person who happens to sit in the governor's mansion to determine whether or not people can.

Have their rights restored.

It's far past time for the change to take place in Kentucky.

We deserve to vote and we need to pass this legislation.

68% of Kentuckians support automatic restoration of voting rights, according to the League of Women Voters of Kentucky.