On Wednesday, new Georgia congressional and legislative voting districts were approved by U. S. District Court Judge Steve Jones.
It has been alleged that these voting districts “protect Republican partisan advantages.” However, Judge Jones explained that “the creation of new majority-black voting districts fixed illegal minority vote dilution that led him to order maps be redrawn.”
Judge Jones, “in three separate but similarly worded orders, rejected claims that the new maps didn’t do enough to help black voters.” Jones said he “couldn’t interfere with legislative choices, even if Republicans moved to protect their power.” A summary of events leading to the redrawing of voting districts discloses that “maps were redrawn in a recent special legislative session after Jones in October ruled that a prior set of maps illegally harmed black voters.”
The new districts may be used in 2024’s upcoming elections. Reporting speculates that the voting within the new districts is unlikely to change “the same 9-5 Republican majority among Georgia’s 14 congressional seats, while also retaining GOP majorities in the state Senate and House.”
Accusations of partisan manipulations abound, as can be seen in the example of instance of U. S. Representative Lucy McBath. “The congressional map creates a new majority-black district in parts of Fulton, Douglas, Cobb and Fayette counties on Atlanta’s west side.” One alleged aspect of the redistricting is shifting “U. S. Representative Lucy McBath’s current majority nonwhite district in suburban Gwinnett and Fulton counties into a district tailored for current Republican U.S. Rep. Rich McCormick, stretching from Atlanta’s northern suburbs into its heavily Republican northern mountains.”
Reporting alleges that “it’s the second time in two years that Republicans have targeted McBath,” who is claimed to be a “gun control activist.” McBath, who is black, initially won election in “a majority-white district in Atlanta’s northern suburbs.” Georgia Republicans took that district “and drew it into much more Republican territory.” McBath then found electoral success in a new more democrat-friendly district.
McBath exhibits a fighting spirit. Trying to gain a financial advantage from the redistricting issue, in a fundraising email, McBath wrote: “I won’t let Republicans decide when my time in Congress is over.” McBath may have to run in a new district for the second election in a row after Republicans drew her out of the district she originally won.