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Kentucky Governor Mulls Redistricting Do-Over (Updated)

Updated 5:45 p.m. | Kentucky Democratic Gov. Steven L. Beshear said his state might have to redo its 2012 redistricting map, according to The Associated Press.

At issue is whether prison inmates ought to be included in district counts. Inmates were included in congressional lines but not state legislative lines. Beshear is seeking “to make sure all of them are done on a consistent basis,” per the AP.

The current map was designed for incumbent protection. Even so, one incumbent went home after the 2012 elections: Democratic Rep. Ben Chandler.

Earlier this week, a group called Common Cause Kentucky advocated for an independent commission to draw the lines every 10 years, according to the AP.  The most competitive race in the Bluegrass State is for Democratic Rep. John Yarmuth’s 3rd District.

Beshear’s office provided audio of the press conference to CQ Roll Call, and in his exchange with reporters he emphasized repeatedly that any changes to the 2012 map would be minimal.

“We will either do the rest of them by counting the prisoners or … if the [state] House and Senate decide to not to count the prisoners we will redo the congressional redistricting to a limited extent,” he said. “All we are talking about is a few thousand people on way or another.”

He went on to say that he had not spoken with the U.S. House delegation on the topic and he refused to speculate on the timing of the special session to address the matter. He did say, though, that an announcement would come by Friday.

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