The Kansas House of Representatives voted Wednesday to override a veto of a new congressional district map for the state, joining the state Senate in bypassing the governor’s block.
Representatives in the House voted 85 to 37 to override Gov. Laura Kelly’s veto, needing an 84-vote majority to do so. The successful vote took place on the third day of deliberation on the map, with the Senate previously taking two days to muster the votes needed to bring Senate Bill 355 back to life.
The Senate voted 24 to 15 on Monday, failing to hit the 27-vote majority Republicans needed. However, with a motion to reconsider and vote again on Tuesday, the Senate saw a comeback in favor with 27 yes votes and 11 no votes.
SB 355, which would adopt the “Ad Astra 2” map, draws new district lines in Kansas, particularly controversial in the northeast portion of the state. It would split the northern half of Wyandotte County from the state’s 3rd Congressional District, which is currently held by Representative Sharice Davids, the only Kansas Democrat in Congress. It would also take Lawrence, just one city in Douglas County, and add it to the 1st Congressional District which predominantly accounts for the western part of the state.
Opponents of the map have called it “gerrymandered,” and said it would make it harder for Davids to keep her position as the state’s only congressional Democrat. Supporters like Republican Rep. Brenda Landwehr of Wichita have said there's a “numbers problem” in the Wyandotte and Johnson County area that the map solves. When vetoing it, Gov. Kelly previously voiced objections to how the map would redraw voting districts in Kansas.
Both parties expect the lines to be settled in court.