May 14 (UPI) — Gov. Brian Kemp has called for a special session of Georgia’s General Assembly to consider a redraw of its congressional districts, becoming the latest state to revisit its map amid a gerrymandering arms race.
The Republican governor convened the General Assembly for a special session on June 17 via a Wednesday proclamation, attracting praise from Republicans and condemnation from Democrats.
“Typical Republican behavior. When they can’t win with voters, they rewrite the rules to benefit themselves,” the Georgia Democratic Party said in a social media statement.
“In the end, voters will have the last say here and they won’t put up with this B.S.”
The proclamation was issued amid mounting pressure on Kemp following last month’s Supreme Court ruling that threw out Louisiana’s map and weakened the Voting Rights Act protections for district lines drawn to preserve minority voting power. Civil and voting rights advocates worry the ruling will lead to redrawn maps that will dilute the political power of Black, Hispanic and other people of color.
The ruling came in a case that predates the current rush to gerrymander, but it has paved the way for states, mostly in the U.S. South, to re-examine their maps for districts that could be redrawn.
Kemp praised the ruling in the Louisiana case, saying it “restores fairness to our redistricting process,” while suggesting that it may be too late for Georgia to redraw its congressional districts ahead of the midterm elections.
“Voting is already underway for the 2026 elections, but it’s clear that Callais requires Georgia to adopt new electoral maps before the 2028 election cycle,” he said in a statement released by his office. The name of the case is Louisiana v. Callais.
The move is not expected to affect congressional districts for November’s midterm elections because primaries in Georgia were already underway. Other Republican-led states, however, are rushing to make changes in time for the congressional elections.
President Donald Trump has been urging GOP-led states to redraw their congressional maps to create additional Republican-favored seats in the lower chamber ahead of November.
Trump has repeatedly voiced concern about potential impeachment proceedings if Republicans lose the House. Creating additional Republican-leaning seats increases the GOP’s chances of maintaining control of the chamber, making impeachment less likely while limiting Democrats’ ability to conduct investigations into the Trump administration or stymie his agenda.
At Trump’s urging, Texas became the first state to adopt an unorthodox mid-decade redraw, kicking off a gerrymandering arms race in which Democratic-led states sought to counter with their own maps and Republican-led states responded with additional redraws.
According to the National Conference of State Legislatures, 15 states have moved to redistrict. Of those, seven Republican-led and one Democratic-led have implemented new congressional maps.
Meanwhile, a handful of Republican-led Southern states have moved to take up their maps or institute changes in response to the Louisiana ruling, including Alabama, where Gov. Kay Ivey on Tuesday called a special primary election for four districts — three filled by Democrats — for August and the general election to be held as planned in November.
“Alabamians now have another opportunity to send strong voices to Washington to fight for our values,” the Republican governor said in a statement.
While critics see the Louisiana ruling as a threat to minority political power, Republicans describe it as freeing their states from racial gerrymandering, unfettering states to be represented in Washington by those chosen by the majority.
“Georgians deserve fair districts that reflect the will of the voters — not artificial racial quotas or outdated mandates that divide our state along racial lines,” the Georgia Republican Party said in a statement Wednesday applauding Kemp for calling the special session.
“This is a historic chance to secure equal protection under the law for every Georgian and strengthen representative democracy. Let’s get it done.”
Rep. Carolyn Hugley, Georgia’s state House minority leader, vowed Wednesday that during the special session state Democratic lawmakers will seek to enact a constitutional amendment to ban partisan gerrymandering.
“Nobody has said our maps are illegal, and the speed and urgency that Republicans have moved to redraw maps to lock in single-party rule, indefinitely, shows why the Voting Rights Act was needed in the first place,” Hugley said in a statement.
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