US House Redistricting: Georgia

[BigSkyBob]

http://www.ajc.com/news/georgia-politics-elections/democratic-leader-accuses-gop-1088555.html

Republicans who are controlling the process, she said, plan to create 49 "majority-minority" House districts, an increase of seven over the current configuration. "They accomplished this by purging the state of Georgia of white Democrats," Abrams, who is black, said. "Almost without exception in the Fulton-DeKalb area, if you are a white Democrat who is near an African-American, you were paired and you are going to have to run against one another.




Amusing! Suddenly the Democrats don't believe in minority districts again.

The Fulton-DeKalb area did not have the robust growth of the outer suburbs, so some seats had to be eliminated. It is a neat trick to claim "regression" if a Black seat is eliminated, while pleading the "purging of White Democrats" if no Black seats are eliminated.

[BigSkyBob]

More importantly, Miller v. Johnson was decided at a time when the preferred black candidate could genuinely win a 40% black district in that area, so drawing a 55% black seat and a 30% black seat denied blacks the ability to elect their preferred candidates in two different seats. Not any more.

Which 40% Black seats in the deep South have a Black representative again?

When the VRA was passed, it was assumed the Democrat nominee would win just about every seat in the deep South. The VRA was passed to stop the "cracking" of Blacks so that a Black nominee could win.

[BigSkyBob]

Tomorrow might be final passage. Passed committee today.

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/G/GA_GEORGIA_REDISTRICTING_GAOL-?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT

[BigSkyBob]

http://www.legis.ga.gov/Joint/reapportionment/Documents/CONGPROP2.html


Passes State Senate, and awaits Governor's signature.