Last night Athens Technical College hosted the 5th redistricting hearing held to allow for public input on redrawing congressional and legislative districts based on updated Census data.
The hearing lasted over two hours and was held by a House and Senate committee that, among others, included State Senator Bill Cowsert, who represents parts of Athens, Watkinsville, Monroe and Statham. It was a packed hall with each speaker allowed four minutes.
A common theme throughout the speakers was a complaint that Athens was split into three state House districts and two Senate districts. Many expressed that this functionally diffuses the political power of Athens in a way that benefits Republicans.
Several other speakers from outside Athens, like Cobb County and the city of Decatur, noted that their districts similarly failed to reflect existing political geography.
Other speakers asked that legislative meetings on redistricting be made public, with live and archived videos, and that proposed maps, once made, be made available for public comment.
