Voters elect Keturah Herron to fill vacated Kentucky House 42 seat

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- A vacant seat in the Kentucky House of Representatives has been filled after a special election on Tuesday.

Voters in the 42nd District, which includes parts of west Louisville, elected Democrat Keturah Herron to replace the seat left vacant by Rep. Reginald Meeks, who resigned in December after 21 years.

Herron and Republican Judy Martin Stallard were both vying for the seat. The polls closed at 6 p.m. across the district and the votes were tallied. According to Kentucky Secretary of State Michael Adams, 1,950 votes were for Herron, with 119 for Stallard and one write-in vote.

With all precincts reporting in today's special election in KY House District 42, results are: Keturah Herron, 1,950; Judy Martin Stallard, 119; 1 write-in vote.
— KY Secretary of State Michael Adams (@KYSecState) February 23, 2022

Herron, who previously worked for the ACLU of Kentucky as a policy strategist, will make history as the first openly-LGBTQ Kentuckian elected to the state House. She will also be the third Black woman currently serving in the General Assembly, according to the Kentucky Democratic Party.

"Being a Black, queer, masculine-presenting woman, this is history. This matters," Herron told WDRB News. "This matters for all of those folks who across, not just here in Louisville, but across the commonwealth, to know that you are able to do that and you have someone that is going to be able to represent you, not just speak on issues, but someone who knows and understands and who's walked that and so I just look forward to inspiring other folks and open up the doors for other people to be in this space."

Herron called the experience "exciting" and "humbling" and said she's looking forward to working with the people of District 42.

"I'm very honored to be able to stand here. I think that the people of District 42 have spoken and I look forward to working with the people in District 42 and getting things done in Frankfort," she said. "I've made it very clear that I want us to pass a voting rights bill this year, I think that we have to get something on the ballot and let the people of Kentucky decide."

In addition to voting rights, Herron also said she's looking to file a gun violence prevention bill in Frankfort this session.

"When we talk about racial justice, you have to talk about voting rights and restoring the voting rights of folks," she said. "Then, obviously, we've seen violence not only here in Louisville, but across the commonwealth. It's not something that's just happening here."

Herron was nominated to replace Meeks by the Louisville Jefferson County Democratic Party in December in a unanimous decision. The committee said Herron was "instrumental" in the bipartisan version of Breonna's law, which places limits on no-knock warrants in Kentucky.

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