There are six new open and vacant districts created in the House and Senate redistricting plans, four seats are now open in the House and two seats have been created in the Senate.
With the filing deadline delayed to Jan 25 at 4 pm candidates have time to file for all of the updated House and Senate Districts proposed under the plans that are now sitting with the governor.
In the House, there are four newly created open and vacant districts.
House District 4 – The 4th House District which is currently represented by Rep. Lynn Bechler, R-Marion, shifts from Caldwell, part of Christian, Crittenden, and Livingston County to Hopkins County in the newly drawn map.
House District 38 – This partial Southern Jefferson County district held by Rep. McKenzie Cantrell, D-Louisville, has shifted from a district that started at the county line and snaked up to a district that is more compact and not touching the Bullitt Co. border.
House District 41 – The 41st House District did run west to east across Louisville. The district started in the west end through downtown and carried all the way to St. Matthews. The new district splits the 42nd and 41st Districts in half, with the 42nd getting more of the west end. The district is currently represented by Attica Scott, D-Louisville, who is running for Congress.
House District 93 – The 93rd House District jumps from Martin and Pike Co. in the eastern portion of the state to Fayette County in the new district map. The new district looks to sit around the Lansdowne area of southern Fayette County near the Jessamine County line.
Newly Created Vacant Senate Seats
Senate District 6 – The 6th Senate District shifts from the Western Kentucky counties of Butler, Hopkins, Muhlenberg, and Ohio County, and now includes Northeastern Jefferson, Oldham, and Trimble County. Lawmakers used this district which is currently represented by Sen. C.B. Embry, R-Morgantown, who has cancer and will be retiring at the end of his current term this year.
Senate District 20 – The proposed Senate map creates a new vacant 20th Senate District out of Franklin, Owen, Carroll, Gallatin, and part of Boone and Kenton County. Senate leadership was able to create this map using the district number from retiring Sen. Paul Hornback, R-Shelbyville. The new district does not contain Shelby County or Jefferson County as those districts were shifted into the newly crafted 7th Senate District, which is represented in number by Sen. Adrienne Southworth, R-Lawrenceburg.
There will also be open districts this election year created by retiring lawmakers.
