On Wednesday, November 3, 2021, the Georgia General Assembly convened for a special legislative session. During this special session, the General Assembly was responsible for adopting legislation that would redraw and update our state\u2019s legislative and congressional maps based on the new census data.<\/p>\n
Since the decennial U.S. Census occurred during 2020, all 50 states must begin the process of modifying the boundary lines of statewide districts ahead of the 2022 election cycle. Georgia\u2019s resident population is now 10,711,908 people. Our state grew by approximately one million new residents over the last 10 years, which is an increase of more than 10 percent since the 2010 census. As a result of this population growth, Georgia\u2019s 14 congressional districts will adjust to have 765,136 people in each district. At the state level, all 56 state Senate districts were redrawn to include approximately 191,284 people, and all 180 state House districts increased to approximately 59,511 people. The 2020 U.S. Census data may also lead to new maps for local county commission or school board districts.<\/p>\n
As the House and Senate worked to redraw maps based on population sizes, they also had to consider other requirements. District maps must comply with the Voting Rights Act of 1965 and consider traditional principles of redistricting, such as ensuring that communities of interest are represented, avoiding major changes to the existing representation in the legislature and keeping local government jurisdictions whole.<\/p>\n
Each state has its own way of redrawing its legislative and congressional maps. Here in Georgia, the state legislature creates new district maps through the legislative process. The House and Senate each have a standing committee that works with the nonpartisan Legislative and Congressional Reapportionment Office to update these maps. This summer, the House and Senate reapportionment committees began preparing for the special legislative session by holding town hall hearings across the state, as well as virtually, to gather testimony directly from Georgians about how the redistricting process and their current district lines impact their communities.<\/p>\n