A special session of the Georgia legislature gets underway Wednesday in another case involving Black voting rights. The session comes after a federal judge ruled that Georgia’s voting districts, including Congressional and state Senate and House, violate the Federal Voting Rights Act.
For Georgia democrats, the new districts could result in the addition of one Democratic member in Congress, five members of the state house, and two state senators. Democrats hope the districts, redrawn to create Black majorities, will favor their candidates.
If that holds true, Georgia’s congressional delegation would shift from a 9-5 Republican majority to 8-6, a 33-23 Republican majority in the state senate to 31-25, and 102 to 78 Republican majority in the state house to 97-83, not changing the balance of power but certainly making it closer. Legislators have until December 8th to submit new maps.
