ATLANTA (GA Recorder) – Georgia House approved between 99 and 79 new boundaries for their districts in a largely partisan vote on Wednesday.
When the cards pass the Senate and get Governor Brian Kemp’s signature, the new lines will shape the election of Georgian officials under the Gold Dome for the next decade.
“I am proud that we not only created a legally sound, but also fair map,” said spokesman David Ralston, a Blue Ridge Republican. “Not everyone will be happy now. Not all Republicans will be happy, and that is the case with every bill we pass, but we have done our best to balance competing priorities with the (census) data we have been given. “
Suwanee Rep. Bonnie Rich, Republican chairman of the House Redistricting Committee, said the cards will comply with the law and provide fair representation to all Georgians, despite complaints from Democrats and some Republican voters.
“As an elected Republican woman from Gwinnett County, I am very proud of the number of minority constituencies we have designed here,” she said. “My family, my children, and I have benefited greatly from our diverse community. We have had a rich experience. And now I know that my neighbors, my friends, my children’s friends and their parents all have the opportunity to do what I do here. Our cards made sure of that. Our maps are representative of our state. “
The card is likely to help bolster the Republican majority in the state, researchers from the bipartisan Princeton Gerrymandering Project found with a 5% bias towards Republicans, but taking all factors into account, they gave the plan a B, suggesting it would is above average, but still has room for improvement.
From left, State Representatives Park Cannon, Erica Thomas, Michael Smith, and Bonnie Rich are looking at cards in the Chamber of the House of Representatives. Ross Williams / Georgia recorder
The GOP holds a majority in Georgia House 103-77. The Republicans have a 34-22 lead in the state Senate.
In addition to a lack of competitive districts, Princeton also saw a slight decrease in the number of minority districts, which include majority minority and minority influence districts. The new map contains a total of 109 minority districts, two fewer than the current map.
With no couples in which a member does not seek re-election, the card will force eight incumbent lawmakers to stand for re-election, Rich said.
You’re Snellville Democratic Reps. Rebecca Mitchell and Shelly Hutchinson, Republican Reps. Dominic LaRiccia from Douglas and James Burchett from Waycross, Republican Reps. Danny Mathis of Cochran and Robert Pruitt of Eastman and Republican Rep. Gerald Greene of Cuthbert and Democratic Rep. Winifred Dukes of Albany.
Greene has represented a legislative district in South Georgia for almost four decades, initially as a Democrat.
Minority leader James Beverly, a Macon Democrat, said it was unfair to pair the two Democrats from Gwinnett County, which had the strongest growth in the 2020 census, instead of moving either of the two to a nearby open district.
“This is a perfect example of how politicians use their power in the redistribution process to resolve personal or political grudges rather than serving the public good,” he said. “That is not right. It undermines public confidence in our democracy and the Georgian people deserve better.”
Rich said the committee avoided pairing incumbents whenever possible, but some games are inevitable due to the high population growth in metropolitan Atlanta and the need to comply with federal laws.
Republicans Danny Mathis and Alan Powell check out the new cards. Ross Williams / Georgia recorder
“If I come from any of the four pairings on this card, I think any of us can, if I can put aside my personal ambitions and feelings to do what is best for the state of Georgia,” said Burchett . “I appeal to you, just from a personal point of view, just to say, ‘Hey, this is not about you. This is about the state of Georgia. This is about your voters. This is about the future of Georgia. ‘”
Two Republicans broke from the ranks and voted against the plan, Rep. Philip Singleton of Sharpsburg and Rep. Charlice Byrd of Woodstock.
Singleton’s borough was the subject of much discussion at House committee hearings, with dozens of protesters holding signs lamenting the proposed conversion from a borough that voted 72% for Donald Trump to one that voted 68% for Joe Biden.
Singleton urged his colleagues one last dramatic time from the plenary to reject the measure.
“If you allow your voice to be silenced, or if you voluntarily submit your voice to a chosen few, you are complicit in the destruction of our republic, you are creating a functioning oligarchy,” he said. “All that evil wins is that good people do nothing. I want everyone in this room to have the same voice. “
The Democrats were on an equal footing in their rejection of their plan, but they took a different approach in their criticism.
Decatur Democratic MP Mary Margaret Oliver said the card violated the voting rights law by dividing minority communities.
“The Stonecrest parish is divided into three separate districts,” she said. “My city of Decatur, where I’ve been working as a lawyer for some time, if I had the corner office that I don’t have, I could look at three different districts. The city of Decatur is four square miles. It has four representatives. The district line separating House District 91 and House District 116 divides the Stockbridge parish, the Groveway parish in Roswell. A fellowship of African American churches voting and praying together has been divided by a divided district. “
Garden City Democratic MP Carl Gilliard criticized the Republican-led committee for calling a vote on Wednesday on a version of a card that was publicly unveiled just two days earlier.
“Of all the recorded public comments, the vast majority came before the map we are voting on today was published,” he said. “Churches across Georgia first learned exactly how their representation would change last week. In response, they had two options, whether they come to the State Capitol in the middle of the work day or go to the portal and enter your information. “
Rich said public feedback through summer listening sessions, online commentary, and Capitol hearings entered the map earlier this week, and she criticized the Democrats for not interfering in the process earlier.
“In addition to the more than 88 hours I made available, in the four separate emails that were sent to each member of this body, I also offered to meet with each and every one of you at any other time, if none of them “The times I have suggested have been convenient for you,” she said. “Some people have asked me about it. Most Democrats have not, and it is unfortunate for their districts and their constituents. “
The Senate passed its card on Tuesday, including along the party lines, and the House Redistribution Committee approved the plan on Wednesday and made it available for a vote by the entire panel. Once both houses approve the other’s plan, they await Governor Brian Kemp’s signature and the legislature will move to its final task of special session and redraw the state’s 14 congressional district lines.
