Georgia Lawmakers Walk Tightrope in Voting: On Monday, Georgia lawmakers are set to return to the State Capitol to continue their work on re-drawing the state’s voting district maps as per a federal judge’s order.
Anticipating a final vote this week, some experts express concern that the current plans may expose lawmakers to the risk of federal intervention.
A federal judge invalidated Georgia’s Congressional, Senate, and House District Maps from 2021, citing a violation of the Voting Rights Act. Republican lawmakers presented new proposals on Friday, but voting rights advocates argue that these plans may not comply with the court order.
During special legislative sessions since last Wednesday, Georgia lawmakers are revisiting the state’s voting rezoning maps.
Stephanie Ali, police director with the New Georgia Project, emphasized that the legislature must create new Black majority districts, following a court order by U.S. District Judge Steve Jones. Jones ruled that the existing maps violated federal law by diluting Black voting power.
“They suppress Black voters in certain areas by not creating enough districts,” Ali explained.
Lawmakers, from both parties, aim to make changes without losing substantial ground. The new maps propose creating new Black districts in areas where they already existed. For instance, on the Senate side, a district from Coweta County is moved to Atlanta, now labeled as a new majority Black district.
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Republican leaders presented a re-drawn map on Friday, introducing a new majority Black district in West Metro Atlanta. However, it also sought to divide the majority Democratic voting district in southern Gwinnett and Fulton counties, represented by Congresswoman Lucy McBath.
The approach echoes the strategy used by Alabama lawmakers in redistricting, potentially inviting federal intervention.
“The legislature in Alabama also got to redraw their maps, they also tried this mess of not listening to what the judge said, and what ended up happening is the court got to draw their maps,” Ali noted.
Lawmakers must submit the new maps by Dec. 8, and the court will subsequently rule on their constitutionality.
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