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Redistricting in Georgia ahead of the 2026 elections
Redistricting is the process of enacting new district boundaries for elected offices, particularly for offices in the U.S. House of Representatives and state legislatures. This article covers redistricting activity in Georgia after the 2024 elections and before the 2026 elections.
Georgia's 14 United States representatives and 236 state legislators are all elected from political divisions called districts. District lines are redrawn every 10 years following completion of the United States census. Federal law stipulates that districts must have nearly equal populations and must not discriminate on the basis of race or ethnicity.
Congressional districts
Litigation over congressional redistricting in Georgia after the 2020 census is ongoing.
On December 30, 2021, a group of voters filed a lawsuit alleging that the congressional map drawn after the 2020 census violated Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act and that the legislature should have created another majority-Black district in the Atlanta region.[1] A federal judge struck down the congressional map on October 26, 2023, ordering the state to draw a new map. On December 28, 2023, the judge upheld the state's remedial map, and plaintiffs appealed the judge's approval of the remedial map in January 2024. The 11th Circuit Court of Appeals heard arguments in the case in January 2025.[2] The congressional and legislative map challenges were consolidated.
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Legislative districts
Litigation over state legislative redistricting in Georgia after the 2020 census is ongoing.
On December 30, 2021, a group of organizations and voters filed a lawsuit alleging that the legislative maps drawn after the 2020 census violated Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act by diluting the voting power of the state's Black voters.[3] A federal judge struck down the legislative maps on October 26, 2023, ordering the state to draw new maps. On December 28, 2023, the judge upheld the state's remedial maps, and plaintiffs appealed the judge's approval of the remedial map in January 2024. The 11th Circuit Court of Appeals heard arguments in the case in January 2025.[4] The congressional and legislative map challenges were consolidated.
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For a complete overview of redistricting in Georgia after the 2020 census, click here.
Summary
This section lists major events in the post-2020 census redistricting cycle in reverse chronological order. Major events include the release of apportionment data, the release of census population data, the introduction of formal map proposals, the enactment of new maps, and noteworthy court challenges. Click the dates below for additional information.
- Jan. 23, 2025: The Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals heard oral argument in an appeal of the district court's approval of remedial congressional and state legislative maps.
Court challenges
Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Inc., Grant, and Pendergrass v. Raffensperger
In January 2025, the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals heard arguments in an appeal of a district court's December 28, 2023, approval of remedial congressional and legislative maps.[5]
On October 26, 2023, the United States District Court for the Northern District of Georgia ruled that the state's congressional and legislative district boundaries violated the Voting Rights Act and enjoined the state from using them for future elections.[6] The court directed the Georgia General Assembly to develop new maps by December 8, 2023.[6]
The court combined three cases that lower courts heard separately: Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Inc. v. Raffensperger, Grant v. Raffensperger, and Pendergrass v. Raffensperger.[7]
Federal District Court Judge Steve C. Jones wrote in his order, "After conducting a thorough and sifting review of the evidence in this case, the Court finds that the State of Georgia violated the Voting Rights Act when it enacted its congressional and legislative maps. The Court commends Georgia for the great strides that it has made to increase the political opportunities of Black voters in the 58 years since the passage of the Voting Rights Act of 1965. Despite these great gains, the Court determines that in certain areas of the State, the political process is not equally open to Black voters. . For example, in the past decade, all of Georgia’s population growth was attributable to the minority population, however, the number of majority-Black congressional and legislative districts remained the same. In light of this fact and in conjunction with all of the evidence and testimony in this case, the Court determines that Georgia’s congressional and legislative maps violate Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act and enjoins their use in any future elections."[7]
For more information about redistricting lawsuits in Georgia, click here.
Enacted maps
Enacted congressional district maps
On December 8, 2023, Governor Brian Kemp (R) signed revised congressional maps into law. Legislators in the Georgia House of Representatives voted 98-71 to adopt the new congressional map on December 7. The Georgia State Senate voted 32-22 to adopt the congressional map on December 5.[8][9]
On October 26, 2023, the United States District Court for the Northern District of Georgia ruled that the state's congressional and legislative district boundaries violated the Voting Rights Act and enjoined the state from using them for future elections.[6] The court directed the Georgia General Assembly to develop new maps by December 8, 2023.[6]
On December 28, 2023, the U.S. District Court for the Northern District upheld the maps enacted on December 8, which were later used in the 2024 elections, and found them in compliance with the Voting Rights Act.[10]
| “ | The Court finds that the General Assembly fully complied with this Court’s order requiring the creation of a majority-Black congressional district in the region of the State where vote dilution was found. The Court further finds that the elimination of 2021 CD 7 did not violate the October 26, 2023 Order. Finally, the Court declines to adjudicate Plaintiffs’ new Section 2 claim based on a coalition of minority voters. Hence, the Court OVERRULES Plaintiffs’ objections ... and HEREBY APPROVES SB 3EX.[11][12] | ” |
The district court's approval of remedial state legislative maps was appealed to the Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals. Oral argument was held on January 23, 2025.[13]
Enacted state legislative district maps
The district court's approval of remedial state legislative maps was appealed to the Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals. Oral argument was held on January 23, 2025.[14]
Governor Kemp (R) signed revised legislative maps into law on December 8, 2023. Legislators in the Georgia House of Representatives voted 98-71 to adopt the new state legislative maps on December 5. The Georgia State Senate voted 32-23 to adopt the state legislative maps on December 1. For more information about the enacted legislative maps, click here.[8][9]
See also
- Redistricting in Georgia after the 2020 census
- Redistricting in Georgia after the 2010 census
- Redistricting in Georgia
- State-by-state redistricting procedures
- Majority-minority districts
External links
- Search Google News for this topic
- All About Redistricting
- Dave's Redistricting
- FiveThirtyEight, "What Redistricting Looks Like In Every State"
- National Conference of State Legislatures, "Redistricting Process"
- FairVote, "Redistricting"
Footnotes
- ↑ In the United States District Court for the Northern District of Georgia Atlanta Division, "Case 1:21-cv-05339-SCJ Document 1," December 30, 2021
- ↑ Democracy Docket, "11th Circuit Considers Fate of Georgia Maps in High-Stakes Redistricting Case," January 21, 2025
- ↑ In the United States District Court for the Northern District of Georgia Atlanta Division, "Case 1:21-cv-05337-SCJ Document 1," December 30, 2021
- ↑ Democracy Docket, "11th Circuit Considers Fate of Georgia Maps in High-Stakes Redistricting Case," January 21, 2025
- ↑ Democracy Docket, "Georgia Congressional Redistricting Challenge (Pendergrass)," accessed March 31, 2025
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 Reuters, "US judge orders new congressional map in Georgia, citing harm to Black voters," October 27,, 2023 Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; name "Reuters" defined multiple times with different content - ↑ 7.0 7.1 United States District Court for the Northern District of Georgia, "Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Inc., et al. v. Raffensperger," October 26, 2023
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 Georgia General Assembly, "Legislative and Congressional Reapportionment Office - Proposed Plans," accessed December 11, 2023
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 Twitter, "RedistrictNet," December 7, 2023
- ↑ Atlanta Journal-Constitution, "Federal judge upholds Georgia’s Republican redistricting plan," December 8, 2023
- ↑ United States District Court for the Northern District of Georgia, "Case 1:21-cv-05339-SCJ, Document 334" December 28, 2023
- ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ Democracy Docket, "11th Circuit Considers Fate of Georgia Maps in High-Stakes Redistricting Case," January 21, 2025
- ↑ Democracy Docket, "11th Circuit Considers Fate of Georgia Maps in High-Stakes Redistricting Case," January 21, 2025
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