Commonwealth Policy Center

Every 10 years, the state legislature draws new maps for legislative and congressional seats in Kentucky. Gov. Beshear vetoed the new maps drafted by Republicans and called it an “unconstitutional political gerrymander” that it “excessively splits” some counties and “carves up” other counties for “partisan reasons.” In response, House Speaker David Osborne said the governor was “wrong on the facts, wrong on the law” and insisted that “this proposal meets all legal considerations. It splits no precincts, divides the fewest number of counties possible and preserves communities of interest.” Osborne added, “By issuing this veto, the governor is showing that at best he is poorly informed, and at worst it is blatant political posturing.” Most of us could do without the political drama, but in the end, Republicans have supermajorities in both the House and Senate and are expected to override the veto.