ATLANTA — A new Georgia Senate map released Monday creates two additional districts with Black majorities in metro Atlanta after a federal judge ordered a redistricting of the state.
The Senate’s Republican majority protected itself by crafting new districts that target Democrats, state Sens. Jason Esteves and Elena Parent. Both Democrats currently represent primarily white districts, but the new maps put them in districts with Black majorities.
While the revised political boundaries would increase the number of majority-Black districts from 13 to 15, Black voters wouldn’t necessarily gain representation in next year’s elections. Black voters overwhelmingly support Democrats while most white voters in Georgia back Republicans.
The Senate map protects incumbents of both parties, minimizing the chances that many seats will change hands. Republicans hold a 33-23 majority in the state Senate, an advantage that will likely remain intact after redistricting.
The map will begin to be debated during a special redistricting session at the state Capitol that begins Wednesday. New maps with additional majority-Black districts in Congress and the state House are expected to be released later this week.
U.S. District Judge Steve Jones ordered the Republican-controlled General Assembly to remap Georgia’s congressional and state legislative districts after ruling that they illegally weakened the political power of Black voters in violation of the Voting Rights Act of 1965.
Esteves’ current district in Cobb and Fulton counties is 22% Black; his new district that stretches south along Atlanta’s westside would have a 52% Black voting-age population
Parent’s district would change from 29% Black to 51% Black as its boundaries shift from the Decatur area in DeKalb County, forming a vertical strip that stretches to Morrow in Clayton…
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