Tuesday on Political Rewind: A discussion with Georgia mayors on governing through the pandemic. Also, an Atlanta federal judge began hearing arguments this week in a lawsuit claiming Georgia’s newly drawn congressional map under represents Black voters. Plus, school mask mandates are being dropped in a number of states. How have the politics of COVID played out in local Georgia communities?
Monday on Political Rewind: Partisan gerrymandering has reduced the number of competitive congressional seats to lows not seen for decades. Meanwhile, Georgia GOP legislators promote bills that would exert new control over the teaching of race in state classrooms. Also, the federal trial for the McMichaels for the murder of Ahmaud Arbery starts this week.
The divided court struck down the state's new maps for congressional and General Assembly seats. The ruling is a major victory for Democrats and their allies.
The state House passed a GOP-drawn Gwinnett County commission map Thursday which would give their party more say on the board, but Democrats say the move flies in the face of long-established legislative norms.
The drama of last year’s special redistricting session played out writ small Tuesday morning as the Republican-led House Governmental Affairs Committee passed a redrawn map for Gwinnett County’s Board of Commissioners despite objections from the Democratic majority of the county’s legislative caucus and the commissioners themselves, who are all Democrats.
In anticipation of the gerrymandering lawsuits that are sure to follow, political strategists, voting rights groups, and scholars alike are assessing the consequences of Georgia’s newly drawn legislative districts for the state’s political landscape.
They say it’s already apparent that, in a state where Republicans and Democrats consistently poll neck-and-neck, the number of truly competitive districts for both parties is dwindling to zero.
The Georgia House passed the new congressional map along party lines 96-68. It now joins the state’s legislative map awaiting Gov. Brian Kemp’s signature.
Friday on Political Rewind: Consequential updates to Georgia's political maps are moving through a special session of the state General Assembly. The Republican-controlled legislature is redrawing the boundaries of state and congressional legislatorial seats as part of a decennial process mandated by law.
The joint congressional map heads to the floor of the Senate for a vote tomorrow. After gaining approval from the Reapportionment and Redistricting Committee, it moved forward by a vote of 9-5 along party lines.
Wednesday on Political Rewind: The legislature is expected to move forward with redistricting maps likely to consolidate Republican control of Georgia’s U.S. congressional delegation for years to come. Our panel discussed the possible consequences.
Once the maps receive Kemp’s signature, they will represent a big win for the Georgia GOP, though it’s likely too early to say whether they will be able to hold on to the new districts through the next redistricting in 2030.
