ATLANTA — Two senate redistricting maps have emerged at the capitol in Atlanta – one Republican and one Democrat. One of them would move a metro Atlanta district to territory southwest of Atlanta’s airport and toward the Alabama line.
The sixth senate district is now rooted in Atlanta’s Buckhead community and the Truist Park neighborhood in Cobb County. The Republican map released this week would move that district out to the broad landscapes of Coweta, Heard and Carroll counties at Georgia’s western border.
The federal court that ordered redistricting did not order this — but Republicans cheerfully acknowledged they did it to keep intact their sizable Senate majority.
Republicans objected when Democrats presented a competing map that would likely flip two Republican seats to Democrats.
The Republican map redraws districts 17 and 28 to create Black majority seats. Their Republican incumbents, Sen. Matt Brass (R-Newnan) and Brian Strickland (R-McDonough) are expected to run in new adjoining districts.
It also took some liberties elsewhere.
One was the shift of metro Atlanta district six — now held by Democrat Jason Estevez – to the new 70 percent white district on the Alabama line.
Another was District 42, a seat held by Democrat Elena Parent, straddling the Atlanta city limits. Republicans moved it to a majority-white district sprawling 40 miles eastward into Morgan County.
Democrats claimed the Republican maps mostly shuffled Black voters from one Black majority district to another.
“When you just move people around, all you’re trying to do is obfuscate the fact that very, very few (Black) voters have been provided with new (voting) opportunities,” Parent told Republicans on the Senate reapportionment committee Thursday.
“Did you use political data when drawing this (Democratic) map?” Sen. Bill Cowsert (R-Athens) asked Parent during the meeting.
“No. I mean the maps are drawn to reflect the court’s mandate within the affected area,” Parent answered.
“So it’s mere happenstance that the Democratic map happens to create two new Democratic districts?” Cowsert asked.
Democrats said their map reflected a surge in new voters of color in Georgia.
