Updated: Gov. Andy Beshear, D-Kentucky, has issued a writ of election to fill the vacant 42nd House seat held by former Rep. Reggie Meeks, D-Louisville, in an effort to give voters in the district a voice in the 2022 legislative session.
Meeks resigned from the legislature last week after 21-years in the House of Representatives, weeks before the General Assembly will convene for the 2022 regular session.
The special election will be held on February 22, 2022, with early voting taking place on February 17-19th, according to Secretary of State Mike Adams, R-Kentucky.
The local Democratic and Republican Party will now have the task of selecting their nominee for the special election to fill the last year of Meeks’ unexpired term. One name that is floating is Keturah Herron, the policy strategist for ACLU of Kentucky. Herron is also active with Black Lives Matter Louisville.
House Minority Floor Leader Joni Jenkins, D-Louisville, told Kentucky Fried Politics that Herron did call her and told her she would be seeking the nomination for the seat. The decision is made at the local level, where Jenkins says the party is getting many calls and will interview candidates over the weekend.
Robert LeVertis Bell, a community activist and public school teacher, filed a letter of spending intent for the race in early November, prior to Meek’s decision to retire. He will also seek the Democratic party’s nomination for the seat, and run for the seat in the May 2022 primary.
The 42nd House seat is historically considered a minority district and stretches from the west end of Louisville through Old Louisville and into the Clifton neighborhood.
