With Kentucky’s 2020 census data returned and in hand, one state organization is prepared to address redistricting for the state’s congressional, senate and house seats — an issue that could arise in Frankfort as early as next year.
In a Tuesday night webinar hosted by the Hopkinsville chapter of Kentucky’s League of Women Voters, key-note speakers Dee Pregliasco of Louisville and Susan Perkins Weston of Danville opened up about the LWV’s ongoing process of drawing new voting districts that will be lobbied at the state level, and potentially utilized for the next decade.
While Kentucky is set to keep its six U.S. congressional seats alongside 38 state senate seats and 100 state house seats, Pregliasco noted that borders will move — especially for several city and county school board zones, which will be reallocated across Kentucky due to population shifts.
The hope, Pregliasco added, is to advocate for what they hope to be fairer, simpler maps for all three levels of government.
Pregliasco said she and the League presumed legislators would have to push back a January 7, 2022, filing deadline on redistricting because potential candidates will need to know their representation, and because it truthfully takes awhile to evenly and effectively separate 120 counties — the third-most in the United States behind Texas and Georgia.
But Pregliasco added the LWV also drew its maps without much regard for precedent.
Weston said the biggest goal in this new cartography was to keep roughly 45,000 people per house seat (within 4-to-5 percent) — based on Kentucky’s reported 4.5 million population for 2020.
As it stands right now, Christian County has three house districts dipping into its borders, with Republican Lynn Bechler representing District 4 in Caldwell, Christian, Crittenden and Livingston, Republican Walker Thomas representing Christian and Trigg in District 8, and Republican Myron Dossett lobbying for Christian and Hopkins in the Ninth District.
The LWV’s proposed map still has Christian County thrice divided, but has Livingston eased in with east McCracken, Lyon and Trigg with North Marshall, Crittenden and Caldwell with west Christian, northeast Christian with Muhlenberg and Todd, and southeast Christian (with Hopkinsville) by its lonesome.
One question asked in the forum: why are the current district maps so complicated and jumbled? Weston had a hypothesis.
A proposed redrawing of the 1st Congressional District, Weston added, would go all the way from Meade County down to Simpson County — bypassing Warren County and splitting Grayson County in half along the way.
It’s a much different look than now, which currently has the First swirling from Fulton County back into the heart of central Kentucky.
A Kentucky Senate realignment suggestion had the LWV pairing up Christian, Caldwell and Muhlenberg, but it was noted that Christian, Todd and Trigg is the better grouping — due to its economic corridor.
Citizens are strongly encouraged to continue their suggestions to the LWV up until November 15, when all ideas will then be compiled and considered. Pregliasco said that with no possible independent commission or advisory redistricting board, building a bi-partisan plan required public input.
For more information on how to contribute, visit lwvky.org, call (502) 875-6481 or send an email to info@lwvky.org.
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