Georgia's Republican-controlled legislature opted against redrawing congressional districts during a special session this week, deflecting pressure to reshape the state's political map in the party's favor following a major Supreme Court decision that stripped away decades-old voting protections.
House Speaker Jon Burns framed the decision as a commitment to deliberative process. "We believe that it's important to do things the Georgia way, responsibly, transparently, and with ample opportunity for public input," he said Wednesday.
The April Supreme Court ruling significantly weakened the Voting Rights Act, eliminating a key section that historically required certain states and jurisdictions to seek federal approval before changing voting maps. Republicans nationwide have moved quickly to exploit the decision, seeking to redraw districts in their favor as they fight to retain control of the House with a historically narrow majority.
Georgia presented an inviting target for such efforts. But Burns cited competing priorities during the compressed special session, including a push to reinstate a moratorium on gasoline taxes, a proposal to lower property levies, and what he called a vital fix to a 2024 law that could cast doubt on the legality of vote-counting machines before November's election.
"Changes to our district maps have the potential to impact every voter in Georgia, and they deserve the same quality accurate process that has always guided the house," Burns said.
Democrats mobilized against any redrawing push. U.S. Senator Raphael Warnock returned to Georgia to protest the prospect of congressional redistricting, while Justin Jones, a Tennessee state representative who spearheaded his state's resistance before losing that fight in May, traveled to Atlanta's capitol to build opposition.
Republican reluctance may have also stemmed from cautionary lessons closer to home. The party's 2023 state legislative redistricting effort aimed to shore up GOP gains in metro Atlanta, yet the region has continued drifting Democratic. A fresh round of state house and state senate redrawing during this session carried obvious risks of backfire.
"You can't bleed a turnip," former state representative Teri Anulewicz observed. She noted that Republicans had already done their redistricting work three years earlier and suggested the political math no longer favored further map tinkering in a swing state trending Democratic. "The house is very much on the bubble in terms of keeping their majority," she said.
Republican state representative Mark Newton, from suburban Augusta, defended Burns' deliberative approach. "He likes to do things with deliberation, not to be rushed," Newton said. "It's one of the reasons we have so many study committees that meet for the nine months that we're not in session. When we've redistricted in the past, we've had meetings. We've gotten feedback from all groups."
Author James Rodriguez: "Sometimes the smart play is knowing when not to swing the bat, especially when your party's in a precarious spot."
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