Speak Your Mind at Redistricting Hearings

Radio Commentary, 90.7, 91.7 New Life FM, May 20, 2011
By Sue Ella Deadwyler

Good morning, Jim. The 40-day session is over, but the legislature will reconvene in Atlanta on August 15th for a special session, to finish their work on reapportionment and redistricting. After the Census is taken every ten years, population numbers are sent to the states and used to redraw legislative and congressional districts.

When the nation had only 13 colonies and only 65 members in Congress, Georgia had three. Today, the number of congressmen is set at 435. Every state has at least one member and the other 385 seats are reapportioned among the states, based on state population. Last year’s Census showed ten states had lost residents and will lose seats in Congress, but eight, including Georgia, gained population. With a state growth of 20.1 percent, Georgia gets another seat in Congress and another vote in the Electoral College.

Reapportionment, also, means redistricting the General Assembly. Since the state population is now 9,687,653, just over 53,000 people will be in each of 180 State House districts, roughly 173,000 in each of 56 State Senate districts and almost 692,000 in the 14 congressional districts.

The reapportionment process is already well under way. The joint reapportionment committee of 22 representatives and 16 senators is holding 12 two-hour public hearings from 5 to 7 p.m. May 16th through June 30th, beginning on the eastern side of the state. The dozens of people who spoke in Athens last Monday evening weren’t shy about their feelings. Folks from Rockdale, Clark and Oconee counties had definite suggestions about redrawing their districts to better suit the population. Beginning next week, the next four hearings will be in western Georgia and the five meetings in middle Georgia will wrap up in Atlanta on June 30th.

Call the Joint Legislative and Congressional Reapportionment Committee Co-chairmen – Representative Roger Lane, 404 656-5087 and Senator Mitch Seabaugh, 404 656-6446 – to inquire about the locations of upcoming meetings in the towns listed below. There will be a sign-up sheet at each location and you may register to speak upon arrival. It is a perfect opportunity to have input into the configuration of your political districts. For Georgia Insight I’m Sue Ella Deadwyler, your Capitol correspondent.

Dates & Locations of Reapportionment Meetings
Meetings Last Week
May 16, Athens; May 17, Augusta; May 18, Savannah;
Upcoming Meetings
May 23, Albany; May 24, Valdosta; June 6, Columbus;
June 7, Cartersville; June 13, Macon; June 14, Stockbridge;
June 20, Dalton; June 21, Gainesville; June 30, Atlanta