GENERAL ASSEMBLY OVERRIDES BESHEAR’S VETO OF CONGRESSIONAL REDISTRICTING LEGISLATION

The override of the gubernatorial veto happened quickly

FRANKFORT, KY (January 20, 2022) - Governor Andy Beshear vetoed Senate Bill 3 (SB 3), congressional redistricting legislation late Wednesday evening after the General Assembly had adjourned for the day. The Senate responded swiftly on Thursday, overriding the governor’s veto.

The override of the gubernatorial veto happened quickly, as the veto override for SB 3 cleared the Senate chamber by a vote of 25-10 and passed it over to the House where it was also overridden by a vote of 64-24.

Redistricting is the process that determines who represents the people. The redrawing of legislative maps occurs every ten years following the United States Census Bureau’s release of decennial census data. The U.S. Constitution and federal law require redistricting to provide for equal representation among the citizen population.

Redistricting has been and remains the sole responsibility of the duly elected members of the state legislature. The congressional redistricting maps approved by the legislature meet legal and constitutional requirements and adhere to applicable case law.

According to 2020 Census data, the population of Kentucky grew by 0.1% to just over 4.5 million. Divided among the state’s six congressional districts equates to approximately 750,000 residents per district. Deviation among the resident populations in each of the six districts was kept to a minimum.

SB 3 has been delivered to Kentucky Secretary of State Adams for enactment. This bill carries an emergency clause, meaning it’s enacted as law in the Commonwealth and congressional district lines would conform immediately to its provisions.