The League of Women Voters of Kentucky shared an overview of draft maps of potential legislative districts on Wednesday night. The organization sought public input on how the public could be better represented in those districts. 

The virtual event was hosted by the Western Kentucky University Department of Political Science on Sept. 29. WKU professor Saundra Ardrey began the meeting by introducing the league.

Redistricting is the process of drawing new boundaries for congressional and state legislative districts which lasts for ten years. 2021 redistricting is based on the 2020 census data.

“The critical thing to remember is it’s important for voters to elect their representatives,” Dee Pregaliasco, LWVKY redistricting committee member, said. “We want to advocate for fair and simpler maps that reflect public input.” 

It will be hard to draw the recumbents due to population shifts in Eastern and Western Kentucky from 2010 to now, Pregaliasco said. 

The webinar featured moderators, panelists and offered a Q&A portion for viewers.

Susan Weston, a LWVKY redistricting committee member, went on to present information about maps. Weston showed viewers Congressional and House draft maps and how they were divided.

She asked viewers to share their thoughts on their draft maps for improvement. 

“It’s going to be hard to get anything changed for how the redistricting is done this time because the clock is ticking pretty fast for legislatures to actually get district into place,” Weston said.

Pregaliasco recommended that the public sign petitions, attend Fair Maps forums, and talk to legislative leaders.

“We know that civic engagement is one of the critical things that can keep our democracy going the way that it should,” Weston said.

The webinar will be available for viewing online at LWVKY.org

Henri Aboah can be reached at [email protected] Follow her on Twitter @HenriAboah