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Gerrymandering flurry, voting rights ruling prompt Beshear call for constitutional amendment

Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear speaks at the National Action Network (NAN) Convention in New York, Saturday, April 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Angelina Katsanis)
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Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear speaks at the National Action Network (NAN) Convention in New York, Saturday, April 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Angelina Katsanis)

Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear wants to see an amendment to the U.S. Constitution in response to recent actions surrounding voting rights.

Beshear made the comments while stumping for Alabama's Democratic gubernatorial candidate Doug Jones. Speaking on the gerrymandering race sparked ahead of the midterms, Beshear advocated for guardrails to be enshrined in the constitution.

"It is time for a fix-the-darn-country constitutional amendment where we outlaw partisan redistricting, where we re-enshrine parts of that Voting Rights Act, where we overturn Citizens United, where we actually make real solutions that our system function the way it was supposed to," he said.

Beshear said Kentucky will not be redistricting this year because he will not call a special session. Yet the idea of an early round of redistricting in Kentucky hasn't gained much traction. Murmurs about redistricting among a handful of Kentucky Republicans, including Burlington State Rep. TJ Roberts, proved a non-starter in this year's regular session.

Eight states have already adopted new House maps, and several more are considering it, according to the Associated Press.

So far, Republicans believe they could win up to 13 additional seats from new districts in states such as Texas and Florida. Democrats, meanwhile, think they could gain up to 10 seats from new districts in California, Utah, and elsewhere.