Redistricting Legislative Session Underway

A Republican drawn redistricting map has Democrats crying foul as a special session of the Georgia General Assembly gets underway.

The General Assembly is meeting this week to consider how the state’s legislative and congressional districts should be redrawn in light of the 2010 Census data. On Tuesday, Aug. 16, the House Legislative and Congressional Reapportionment Committee will begin taking public comment on the proposed maps and will consider plans proposed by other representatives.

“It’s been tough putting this plan together, but we’ve created a plan that does a great job of representing all Georgians and complying with all legal requirements,” said Rep. Roger Lane (R-Darien), chairman of the House Legislative and Congressional Reapportionment Committee, in a released statement. “I’m proud of the plan that we’ve created together and look forward to a bipartisan vote in favor of this plan.”

The plan for Georgia’s 180 House seats splits 72 of Georgia’s 159 counties compared to the 77 split by the 2004 federal court plan. In 2001, the redistricting split 80 counties and reduced the House districts from 180 to 147.

The plan drawn by Democrats in 2001 paired 37 of the 74 Republican incumbents, nine Democrats and one Independent. This year’s proposed plan includes only 10 pairings -- six pairings of Democrats and four Republican pairings.

“Chairman Lane has drawn a map that is fair to all Georgians,” said House Speaker David Ralston (R-Blue Ridge) according to a House Communications Office press release. “By releasing this plan before the session, Republicans have fulfilled the commitment to draw maps in a fair, open, and transparent process that is completely different from the Democratic games in 2001.”

Democrats however, disagree and say the new plan is intended to give Republicans a super-majority and allow the GOP to control all aspects of state government.

"Republicans would have the public believe this has been a fair and transparent process and that they have provided the maps to us early,” said Rep. Carolyn Hugley, (D-Columbus), chair of the House Democratic Reapportionment Committee in a released statement. “Peek behind the curtain, and you will see that the key information -- who has been changed and how -- is not included. Democrats were provided a view of the maps fifteen minutes before they went online to the general public and not even a full working day before the General Assembly meets to discuss the most important voter representation process of the decade.”

House Minority Leader Stacey Abrams said Democrats remain concerned about the pitting of four white Democrats against four black Democrats. Also, according to Abrams, the Democrats “cannot tell which white Democrats are moved into Republican-leaning districts and whether the lone Hispanic Democrat is now in a Republican-leaning district.”

"The artificial increase in majority-minority districts fails to help minority voters if they are shut out of power in a Republican super-majority," Abrams added.

The proposed plan is available on the Joint Reapportionment Office website.