Keturah Herron
District/Office:
Political party:
Democrat
Incumbent:
No
Campaign website:
Campaign Facebook page:
Campaign Twitter account:
Question 1:
What’s your vision for Kentucky? How will the lives of Kentuckians be improved as a result of your time in office? What legislative committees will you request to serve on once elected?
We have to do politics different in KY. So many people have been left out of the process. I envision a place where every voice matters not just a select few. We have to create a space in Frankfort where all young people have an opportunity to learn and be engaged in the process. I envision having a "Pipeline To Power" where we teach each other, engaged each other, and collective create what we desire. I want to ensure we are taking a public health approach to the issues impacting so many Kentuckians. I look forward to going beyond representation and ensuring we are creating a pipeline of leaders into the process. I will request being on judiciary, health & family services, education, and elections, const amendments & intergovernmental affairs.
Question 2:
Even after Governor Beshear's December 2019 executive order that restored voting rights to nearly 200,000 Kentuckians with felonies in their past, another 200,000 Kentuckians are still barred from voting. Do you support a constitutional amendment to automatically restore voting rights to all Kentuckians with felonies in their past once they've served their time, probation, and parole? Why or why not?
Yes. I have been a leader in attempting to pass a voting rights bill over the last few years. We must get this legislation passed this session and allow the people of Kentucky to decide. Restoring voting rights to Kentuckians will impact many things. I would suggest this brings back dignity and humanity to those who have lost their rights. People are already in community. They are paying taxes, raising children, supporting their families, and they should have a voice for that is happening around them. We should not forever define people by moments in their lives.
Question 3:
During 2020, Kentuckians voted in large numbers as a result of mail-in absentee voting and early voting. What is your view on modernizing state election laws? Specifically, do you support allowing early voting, mail-in ballots without excuses, same-day voter registration, extended hours at polling locations, offering ballots in multiple languages, and other election reforms?
If we want to have people engaged, we must make it easier for people to cast a vote and not put more stipulations on them. I fully support making voting more accessible to more people. We all should be working to register as many people as possible as well as expanding voting rights and ways to vote.
Question 4:
Kentucky’s tax code is unfairly structured. Folks who make the least money pay a higher percentage of their income in taxes than those who make the most. Recently, legislative leaders have suggested that they intend to make our tax structure even more unfair, unjust, and eventually inadequate. What are your thoughts on our state tax structure-- both income taxes and sales taxes? What would you do to ensure everyone pays their fair share to raise adequate revenue, fight poverty, and invest in Kentucky’s under-resourced communities and the services we all need and deserve?
We can be creative in ways to ensure we are bringing in revenue to the state. I believe that legalizing marijuana and having sports betting/gambling will assist in some of these issues. We have the KY Lottery which is used for education and we can do similar things with marijuana and sports betting.
Question 5:
Many undocumented and mixed immigration status families here in Kentucky do not have access to government aid, stimulus payments, and other resources offered during this pandemic, while they’re simultaneously more likely to be essential workers and are at the highest risk for COVID-19 infection. What would you do to expand support and resources to Kentucky’s immigrant families, undocumented or otherwise, in the time of a global pandemic and beyond?
Across the state there are a large amount of immigrant/refugee families. I believe the people who live in this state must be cared for no matter their status. I am not familiar with what policy or current statue would need to change to ensure families are supported, however I do support the policy idea.
Question 6:
Right now, our organization is going door-to-door in Hazard, Louisville, and Bowling Green talking with thousands of Kentuckians about the climate crisis. We’re learning that most people, across party, class and race lines, are deeply concerned about the threat of climate change, including fires, floods, severe storms, and more. But many feel powerless, and don’t have faith that political leaders are on their side or willing to take urgent, bold actions to reduce climate pollution. Is addressing the climate crisis a priority for you? What policies do you support to create good jobs and affordable energy while rapidly reducing pollution?
Climate has not been apart of my platform or part of work which I have been engaged with. However, I would support policies which would improve the environment in KY.
Question 7:
Kentuckians from across the state are coming together to say Black Lives Matter and to demand that all Kentuckians can move through our communities without fearing for our lives or our loved ones. What is the role of the Kentucky legislature in opposing white supremacy, addressing racial inequality and supporting racial justice for Black people, Indigenous people, and all people of color in our state? Please identify at least two policy initiatives you would propose while in office to address racial and systemic inequalities.
The Kentucky Legislature must have racial justice at the center of all legislation that is filed and passed. We continue to see legislation which is harmful and upholds white supremacy. I will work to ensure we get a clean voting rights bill passed. I hope we are able to get this done this session and I can just support it. However, if it does not get passed it will be bill I will work on in the interim. I also plan on filing legislation which would assist with gun violence and overall violence prevention. Victims of gun violence are not represented at the state level nor is there a department which allocates funds for the population. I believe we also have to take a public health approach to ending violence across the state.
Question 8:
Kentucky has the sixth highest incarceration rate in the nation, is second for incarcerating women, and has the second-highest rate of children separated from a parent due to incarceration. In addition, Black Kentuckians face disproportionate arrest, conviction, and incarceration and a heightened risk of police brutality because of systemic racism. If elected, what will you do to make strides toward ending mass incarceration in Kentucky and reinvesting resources into the communities most impacted by this system?
As a directly impacted person, I will continue to work on legislation which changes the criminal legal system. Ending mass incarceration means taking a public health approach to issues we see in community. I believe we must create new systems of care to end issues of mass incarceration. I also believe we can not speak about incarceration without speaking about juvenile justice. If you are not changing and shifting the juvenile system then nothing we do on the adult side will matter.
Question 9:
Do you support a statewide Fairness law to protect LGBTQ people (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, questioning, queer) from discrimination in housing, employment, financial transactions, and public accommodations based on sexual orientation and gender identity? Do you support a statewide ban on the practice of LGBTQ conversion therapy, which would protect Kentucky youth from a harmful and medically discredited practice?
As a Black Queen Masculine presenting woman born and raised in Kentucky I fully support a Fairness Law as well as a ban on conversion therapy.
Question 10:
Nearly 400,000 low-income Kentuckians qualified for health care – including vision, dental and mental health – for the first time under the Affordable Care Act. But major challenges in affordability and access to care still remain. During a pandemic and beyond, the health of every individual is vital to our overall health as a state. How would you ensure access to quality, affordable healthcare to poor and working class individuals across all Kentucky counties? What are your legislative priorities for the overall health of Black and Indigenous people of color, as it relates to COVID 19, and overall health?
Answer 10:
Kentuckians deserve to have affordable health care as well have access to care in their communities. The best way to ensure Black and Indigenous people have overall good health is to ensure the budget reflects the needs of the population. I also believe elected officials must do a better job communicating from the federal, state, and local level. Having that communication would allow a collaborative approach and allow a new approach to issues seen in community.