REDISTRICTING
Every 10 years, the U.S. Census Bureau conducts a head count of everyone in the U.S. Based on this count, new legislative and Congressional district maps are drawn, reflecting changes in our population and its demographics, to make sure that there is equal representation. The Census is directly tied to our representation in elected office, and is a critical foundation of our democracy.
Fun fact (but not really), Kentucky does not have an independent redistricting commission. This means legislators can draw their own maps. Sadly we don’t live in a world where there isn’t political bias like making districts lean toward a favorable outcome for one party. Voters should choose their representatives, not a political party choosing their voters.
Our Constitution requires ensuring districts are contiguous and compact. In addition, district maps cannot violate the Voting Rights Act of 1965, which prohibits racial gerrymandering that would in any way disenfranchise minority voters. Well that is exactly what happened and if it isn’t on your radar, here are some articles to catch you up to speed.
On December 30, 2021, Republicans revealed essentially outlines of their proposed maps, which looked like this:
A detailed map of the new 34th District as well as other districts is linked below and will allow you to zoom in for details to confirm where you now reside: