Georgia Voters Challenge Discriminatory State Legislative Maps with Support of National Redistricting Foundation
NRF Finds Georgia State Legislative Maps Dilute Black Electoral Strength, Violate VRA
Washington, D.C. — The state legislative maps signed by Georgia Governor Brian Kemp are being challenged for diluting the voting strength of the state’s Black communities in violation of Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act (VRA) by a group of individual voters with the support of the National Redistricting Foundation (NRF). The lawsuit, Grant v. Raffensperger, was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Georgia, Atlanta Division.
Between 2010 and 2020, Georgia’s population increased by more than 1 million people. The population growth during this period is entirely attributable to the increase in Georgia’s minority population. The 2020 Census results indicate that Georgia’s Black population grew by more than 15% and now comprises 33% of Georgia’s total population. Meanwhile, Georgia’s white population decreased by 4% over the past decade. Nevertheless, SB 1EX and EB 1EX entrench the power of the state’s white population by packing and cracking Georgia’s Black voters.
“The politicians responsible for drafting and passing these discriminatory maps have a clear goal in mind—protect their own political power regardless of who it hurts along the way,” said Marina Jenkins, NRF Director of Litigation and Policy. “Governor Kemp signed politically-motivated maps that satisfy the desires of career-minded legislators at the expense of Georgia’s Black voters. The National Redistricting Foundation is proud to support voters in fighting back against this shameful behavior from their elected leadership and challenging these maps that unlawfully dilute their voting power.”
The complaint alleges that SB 1EX and HB 1EX crack and pack Black voters in the Atlanta metropolitan area and across the Black Belt in Georgia, diluting their electoral strength in violation of Section 2 of the VRA. The General Assembly could have instead created additional, compact State Senate and House districts in which Black voters comprise a majority of eligible voters and have the opportunity to elect their preferred candidates, as required by Section 2 of the VRA. Significantly, this could have been done without reducing the number of other districts in which Black voters have the opportunity to elect candidates of their choice.
In regard to State Senate districts, two additional majority-Black districts could be drawn in the southern Atlanta metropolitan area and another majority-Black district could be drawn in the Black Belt region. All three of these districts can be drawn without reducing the total number of minority-opportunity districts in the enacted map.
In regard to House districts, two additional majority-Black districts could be drawn in the southern Atlanta metropolitan area, and one additional majority-Black House district in the western Atlanta metropolitan area. In Bibb County, two additional majority-Black districts could be drawn by uncracking several of the House districts. All five of these districts can be drawn without reducing the total number of minority-opportunity districts in the enacted map.
The complaint can be found here.
Contact: Brian Gabriel | Gabriel@redistrictingfoundation.org