A state Senate panel has approved a proposal to move Kentucky's election for governor to even-numbered years.
Kentucky is one of the few states that elects its governor and other statewide constitutional officers in odd-numbered years. State Sen. Chris McDaniel, a Republican candidate for lieutenant governor in November, said moving the election would save local taxpayers $3.5 million every four years.
But Democratic state Sen. Dorsey Ridley of Henderson said the added expense of the elections is the cost of democracy. He said having the election for governor separate from a presidential or congressional campaigns gives the race more attention and prestige.
The Senate State and Local Government Committee has passed similar bills the past two years that ultimately failed.
