Governor Signs Redistricting Maps, ACLU Immediately Files Suit

Gov. Brian Kemp has signed new legislative and congressional district maps which moves some district boundaries in Northeast Georgia but does not move State Senators or House Representatives.

Kemps signed the new district maps last Thursday.

In November, the Georgia House of Representatives Redistricting Committee approved the Republican Party’s proposed redistricting map for 2022, which moved Franklin and Hart counties out of District 32 into District 33.

It also moved Stephens County from District 28 to District 32.

Under the redistricting map, District 33 now includes all of Franklin and Hart counties and the top northern part of Madison County.

District 32 consists of all of Stephens and Banks counties, the top quarter of North Jackson County, and a small section of South Habersham County.

State Representative Alan Powell said at the time, however, it doesn’t change who represents those districts.

“It’s just a number change,” he said. “I still represent all of Franklin and Hart counties and I’ve picked up a part of northern Madison County. I’m quite content. After all this time I’ve been able to hold the two counties together. Franklin County is kept whole and Hart County, so that’s the most important thing.”

The General Assembly redraws Georgia’s legislative and congressional district lines each decade to accommodate changes in population reflected in the U.S. Census.

Rep. Bonnie Rich, chairman of the House Legislative & Congressional Reapportionment Committee said the map crafted by House Republicans keeps House districts as close to equal in population as possible – the goal being 59,511 residents.

The map also creates 49 majority Black House districts, an increase of one district over the current House map lawmakers adopted in 2011, as well as 27 “minority-opportunity” districts where minority candidates should be competitive.

But last Thursday, immediately after Kemp signed off on the new legislative and congressional district maps, the American Civil Liberties Union Georgia chapter along with a Washington, D.C.-based law firm filed suit, claiming the new district maps approved by the General Assembly’s Republican majority last month violate Section 2 of the federal Voting Rights Act.

The lawsuit cites the significant growth of Georgia’s minority population since the last once-a-decade redistricting session in 2011, while the state’s white population has declined since the 2010 census.