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Redistricting Plan Moving in the Kentucky House

Legislative Research Commission

A House committee in Frankfort passed the chamber's redistricting plan Tuesday on a 25-4 vote with the support of many Republicans. The lone Democrat who voted against the bill was Representative Jimmie Lee of Elizabethtown. 

The proposed map splits Hardin County among six districts, with only Lee's district--the 25th--remaining entirely within Hardin County. 

"With the other counties involved, someone that would seek the seat living in Hardin County in these various districts will never have enough votes in Hardin County to ever win an election," explains Lee.  "Basically, this map has precluded the northern end of Hardin County from ever having someone who lives there serve as their representative."

The bill is expected to easily win approval from the full House on Wednesday. 

The House map pairs eight incumbents, four Republicans and four Democrats, against each other in elections next year.  It varies quite a bit from a 2012 House proposal that pitted nine incumbents against each other, eight of them Republicans.  That plan was thrown out by the Kentucky Supreme Court.

Lisa is a Scottsville native and WKU alum. She has worked in radio as a news reporter and anchor for 18 years. Prior to joining WKU Public Radio, she most recently worked at WHAS in Louisville and WLAC in Nashville. She has received numerous awards from the Associated Press, including Best Reporter in Kentucky. Many of her stories have been heard on NPR.
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