The American Democracy Minute Radio Report & Podcast for Oct. 31, 2023

Today’s Script

(Variations occur with audio due to editing for time. Today’s Links below the script)

You’re listening to the American Democracy Minute, keeping YOUR government by and for the people.

A federal district court found that the State of Georgia’s Congressional voting district map is in violation of the Voting Rights Act. Similar to Alabama, the judge ordered a new map to include an additional majority-minority district.

In a 516-page opinion, Judge Steve Jones said that mapmakers had manipulated voting districts to dilute Black voting power, and that an additional Black majority district should be drawn in west Atlanta.  Georgia’s population is 33.1% black as of 2022, and growing.  In metro Atlanta, African Americans account for 36% of the population.

Jones ordered that the racially gerrymandered map be redrawn by December 8th, and that if the state could not comply, the court would draw the map.   Governor Brian Kemp has called a special session of the legislature for November 29th.  

While this is good news for Black Georgians, anti-voter legislators may try to delay a new fair map prior to the 2024 election by taking it to the federal appeals court and potentially to the U.S. Supreme Court. 

Judge Jones wrote in the opinion, “The Court reiterates that Georgia has made great strides since 1965 towards equality in voting. However, the evidence before this Court shows that Georgia has not reached the point where the political process has equal openness and equal opportunity for everyone

Find the decision and current map at AmericanDemocracyMinute.org.  I’m Brian Beihl.

Today’s Links

Articles & Resources:
Princeton Gerrymandering Project/Represent.Us – Georgia 2021 Final Republican Congressional Map – Enacted – “F” Grade
Associated Press – A Georgia trial arguing redistricting harmed Black voters could decide control of a US House seat
Politico – Georgia’s congressional map violates Voting Rights Act, court finds
NPR – A federal judge says Georgia’s political maps must be redrawn for the 2024 election
U.S. District Court, Northern District of GA – ALPHA PHI ALPHA FRATERNITY v. RAFFENSPERGER
PBS – How new congressional maps in Georgia and North Carolina will impact 2024 election

Groups Taking Action:

ACLU Georgia,  Alpha Phi Alpha, Fair Fight, Fair Districts Georgia

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#Democracy  #DemocracyNews #StopGerrymandering #GeorgiaPolitics #RacialGerrymandering #VotingRights #FreedomtoVote #FairMaps

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