FACT SHEET: Republicans’ Proposed Legislative Maps Still Silence Black Voters

This week, Georgia Republicans in the House and Senate released proposed legislative maps that continue depriving Black Georgia voters of a fair chance to elect candidates of their choosing.

“Georgia Republicans’ proposed legislative maps are lipstick on a pig,” said DPG Executive Director Kevin Olasanoye. “Republicans had a clear directive from the federal court to rectify what they got wrong two years ago and draw maps that give Black Georgia voters a fair opportunity to elect candidates of their choice. Instead, they have simply reshuffled their current gerrymanders to continue protecting their own political power at the expense of Black voters. Georgians see right through these tactics and deserve better.”

Background on Republicans’ legislative maps

Republicans’ proposed Senate map does not expand Black voters’ opportunity to elect candidates of their choice. 

• While Republicans’ map technically adds two majority-Black districts, it “adds” them in areas the court did not identify for remedy while ignoring areas that the court did identify.
  
  • The court’s order called for two new majority-Black districts in south metro Atlanta, but Republicans’ map creates a new district in Cobb County instead – and it does so by drawing in Black voters from other districts that were already majority-minority.
    
  • This leaves thousands of Black voters in the 10-district vote dilution area identified by the court without the ability to elect a candidate of choice.

Republicans’ proposed House map also fails to expand Black voting power and changes 56 districts, causing abrupt district changes for 3 million Georgians.

• Republicans’ proposed House map violates the federal court’s order by dismantling two majority-minority districts in DeKalb and Gwinnett in order to create new ones. By contrast, Democrats’ proposed map complies with the Voting Rights Act and the federal court’s order by creating five new majority-minority districts in the areas the court identified for remedy.
  
• Unlike House Democrats’ map, which shifts only 23 districts, the Republican map changes 56 – creating confusing and unnecessary district changes for more than 3 million Georgians.

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