How could redistricting change Middle Georgia? Take a look at maps
Middle Georgia elected officials will help decide if voting district maps will be redrawn in a special session called by Gov. Brian Kemp this June.
Kemp, in a May 13 proclamation, ordered the General Assembly to convene at 2 p.m. June 17 after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled on a Louisiana lawsuit on redistricting and racial gerrymandering.
The assembly will consider redrawing the lines that determine voting districts for state senators, state representatives and U.S. representatives in Congress, according to Kemp’s proclamation. Any changes would go into effect for the 2028 election cycle.
Depending on the result, districts that include Middle Georgia’s counties, and voters, will be affected.
David Lucas, a Democratic Georgia state senator representing District 26, told The Telegraph he’s worried that the “highest court of the land” allowed racism in legislation, which makes it harder for the Black community to seek support. It could also deny the opportunity for Black legislators to represent the community.
“I stand on the shoulders of many Blacks who died, who marched before Davis Lucas was even born,” he told The Telegraph on May 18. “With the ruling from the Supreme Court, it was basically (saying) ... we don’t need Black folks’ service in our government.
“The only plan we have is that we have to object, and we have to fight ... against these plans.”
Rep. Buddy Carter, of Georgia’s 1st Congressional District, said at a news conference the same day that the Supreme Court ruled accurately and “the VRA is no longer relevant.”
“The districts that we are under right now were drawn with the express intent of racial discrimination,” Carter said. “We’re in the 2026. You can’t judge people’s politics by the color of their skin. Those days are over with.”
Carter applauded Kemp for calling the special session, but said the governor should’ve called for redistricting the maps sooner than 2028.
“Georgians should not have to suffer through the next two years under unconstitutional matters,” Carter said.
What was the VRA ruling?
Louisiana faced lawsuits for the two times it drew its congressional district maps. One lawsuit argued it diminished Black voters’ strength. After the state redrew its congressional map, another lawsuit said that the map was unconstitutional racial gerrymandering, or the deliberate manipulation of mapping based on race rather than on criteria.
Both lawsuits argued the maps violated Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act. The federal law “prohibits voting practices or procedures that discriminate (based on) race, color, or membership in one of the language minority groups,” according to the Department of Justice.
After hearing arguments on Oct. 15, 2025, in a 6-3 decision, Supreme Court justices ruled April 29 that the second time Louisiana drew its congressional maps was unconstitutional. Voters are randomly placed in electoral districts every 10 years, after a Census is completed. Districts are drawn to make sure each represents an equal number of residents.
“That is what a randomly selected individual voter and group of voters can expect regarding their opportunity to elect their preferred candidate,” the ruling said. “Under (Section 2 of the VRA), a minority voter is entitled to nothing less and nothing more.”
The ruling would also change the evidence standard in a lawsuit using Section 2 of the VRA. While many attorneys relied on statistics to show harm to the Black and brown community, now evidence needs to show there was deliberate discrimination against the community.
What districts are affected in Middle Georgia?
Local elected officials claim this will affect districts that have a majority Black population, like District 26 , represented by Lucas. The Black population represents 57% of the district, while the white population is 33%.
It also could affect Georgia’s 2nd Congressional District represented by Congressman Sanford Bishop. The Black population represents 49% of his district, while the white population represents a little under 40% of the population.
Some State House maps with a majority Black voting population in Middle Georgia are:
- District 149, represented by Floyd Griffin. The Black population represents 50% of the district, while the white population represents 42%.
- District 143, represented by Anissa Jones. The Black population represents 50% of the district, while the white population represents 36%.
- District 142, represented by Miriam Paris. The Black population represents 52% of the district, while the white population represents 38%.
- District 145, represented by Tangie Herring. The Black population represents 51% of the district, while the white population represents 39%.
- District 150, represented by Pattie Marie Stinson. The Black population represents 53% of the district, and the white population represents 36%.
Houston County lawsuit
Before the Supreme Court decision, the Houston County Board of Elections was accused of violating Section 2 of the VRA in two lawsuits. Black voters claimed they were denied an equal opportunity to vote for commissioners.
Despite Black residents representing 56% of the population, only white politicians have been elected in leadership positions. White residents represent 34.3% of the population.
Only one Black candidate, Houston Porter, was elected to the Board of Commissioners. His term lasted from 1980 to 1992.
Carlos Andino, senior attorney for the Southern Poverty Law Center representing Black voters in the lawsuit against the Houston County Board of Elections, said the lawsuit was “moving full speed ahead up until the Callais decision,” he told The Telegraph.
The lawsuit was halted until May 29 to allow both parties to assess the impact of the Supreme Court ruling on the litigation. To Andino’s understanding, the next steps in the case are for the presiding judge to decide on whether the case can proceed with how his legal team built the case.
“The practical reality of this is that this is going to lead to attempts to dilute the representation power of Black and brown communities across Georgia,” Andino said. “Places like Houston County, and a lot of the middle of Georgia, over the last decade, have seen a huge growth in the number of Black and brown residents moving and growing in those communities.”
There’s a possibility that the presiding judge will ask for more evidence. If the judge is satisfied with the evidence compiled by Andino, the case will proceed to trial. However, the case is at risk of getting dismissed if the evidence does not satisfy the new standard required, the attorney said.
