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Politics & Government

GOP Congressional District Could Slide Toward Tucker

As the state Legislature starts redrawing political boundaries based on 2010 census boundaries, a north DeKalb state Senator says he thinks it would be "a great idea" for Georgia's 6th Congressional district to roll toward central DeKalb.

As the state Legislature starts redrawing political boundaries based on 2010 census boundaries, a north DeKalb state Senator says he thinks it would be "a great idea" for Georgia's 6th Congressional district to roll toward central DeKalb.

"I'm not saying it's going to happen, but I'd like it to," said state Sen. Fran Millar, R-Dunwoody, after a June 30 public hearing on Congressional, state and local reapportionment.

Georgia will get a fourteenth U.S. Congress member due to its population growth. Census numbers suggest that new seat will be somewhere in the north metro, perhaps centered on Forsyth County.

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If that happens, Millar suggested, existing districts would expand south, perhaps as far as Smoke Rise.

Northern bits would be vacated to make way for the new seat. Old districts could make up lost population by absorbing parts of Democrat-held districts, like the 4th, which covers most of DeKalb and is held by Rep. Hank Johnson.

Find out what's happening in Tuckerwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

For the first time in anyone's living memory, the GOP is in charge of Georgia's government when the state Legislature must redraw political districts for Congressional, state, county and board of education seats.

A legislative Joint Reapportionment Office is matching 2010 census data to maps and drafting boundaries for new districts. Last time, in 2000, staff from the Carl Vinson Institute of Government at the University of Georgia drew the proposals. This time, the majority GOP decided to hand the job to the newly-created office and a newly-appointed staff.

Republican Roger Lane of Darien is the lead House member on his Reapportionment Committee and said his process will be better than 2000. During the Georgia Tech hearing, he declared, "for maybe the first time … maps will be available to the public before we go into special session [for approval]," but added, with emphasis, "hopefully."

The state Legislature is expected to convene on Aug. 15 to start thespecial session of debate on new draft maps. The Legislature will stay at work until they vote approval of maps.

After that, the federal government must also approve the maps, either via the U.S. Department of Justice or the U.S. District Court in Washington, D.C.  That's because Georgia falls under terms of the 1965 U.S. Voting Rights Act. That Act requires a federal double-check for fairness to minority communities in states which have a history of disenfranchising minority voters by gerrymandering or other tricks.

Last time, due to court challenges, maps based on the 2000 census did not get full approval until 2004.

The Georgia General Assembly Legislative and Congressional Reapportionment committees are still taking comments via their website.

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