Georgia’s new election district maps will soon head to the federal government for approval. Gov. Nathan Deal and other Republican lawmakers are deciding how to submit the maps. Democrats are also weighing their options. Gov. Deal will choose between submitting the maps to the U.S. Department of Justice for review or going through the federal courts.

Republican lawmakers have drawn redistricting maps that solidify their majorities in the state House and Senate. But Georgia’s changing demographics won’t guarantee that majority forever. More than 95 percent of the voters in the 2010 Republican primary election were white, according to the Secretary of State’s office.

A Republican state lawmaker with ties to Gov. Nathan Deal says he will run for Georgia's newest congressional seat. State Rep. Doug Collins, of Gainesville, is serving his third term in the state House and served as one of the governor's floor leaders, sponsoring Deal's proposal to revamp the HOPE scholarship.

US Congressman John Barrow says, state lawmakers didn't have to redraw his district. The Savannah Democrat is criticizing the state's redistricting process after Republicans targeted him in maps approved Wednesday.

The state Senate passed new congressional district maps Wednesday, the last major event of this year’s special legislative session. Gov. Nathan Deal will sign off on them and then submit them to the federal government for approval. Under the Voting Rights Act, the federal government must approve any changes to Georgia’s election maps.