Lawsuit over redistricting may extend filing deadline, move primary to August

NC GAZETTE / WBRT RADIO
STAFF REPORT

Sunday, Jan. 23, 2022 — While the deadline to file as a candidate in the May primary election remains Tuesday, Jan. 25th, a lawsuit over the General Assembly’s redistricting plans are likely to cause a delay for Tuesday’s filing deadline and push back the date of the 2022 primary election to August.

If passed into law, House Bill 323, introduced Wednesday, Jan. 19th, will extend the candidate filing deadline to May 31, 2022. The legislation also proposes to move the primary election date from May to Tuesday, Aug. 2, 2022.

The Kentucky Democratic party has filed a lawsuit that challenges the legality of Republicans’ redistricting plans — specifically, the House Congressional Districts and the state House districts. That legal challenge is likely to put a hold on the election until the courts rule on the constitutionality of the redistricting maps.

In its legal challenge, the Democratic party has asked Franklin Circuit Court to prevent the May primary election from taking place based on these Republican-drawn districts.

This story will be updated.

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