Georgia GOP in charge of redistricting for the entire state for 1st time

[The Northerner]

ATLANTA — In a recent campaign email, Democratic Rep. John Barrow warned his supporters of the looming threat he faces in his quest for re-election next fall.

"The folks in Atlanta are in the final stretch of redrawing our congressional district, and they've made their master plans very clear from the start: maximize their power at the expense of your constitutionally-given voice," the message reads before soliciting donations for his campaign.

If Barrow is nervous, he has reason to be: The district he represents has changed considerably in the past decade, and its boundaries will likely look different after the upcoming battle over redistricting.

Lawmakers are set to head back to the Georgia Capitol on Aug. 15 for redistricting, the state-by-state process of redefining the geographic political boundaries for offices including legislative and congressional districts and county election precincts. Redistricting is done every decade in conjunction with the U.S. Census, and those drawing the maps must take into consideration such criteria as keeping together communities with similar interests and ensuring that districts have a roughly equal number of constituents.

As in many states, redistricting is controlled by the Georgia Legislature and is a partisan process. For the first time in the history of redistricting the entire state of Georgia, Republicans are in charge of deciding how the lines will be drawn and are expected to take advantage of their new-found power.

Read more: http://www.therepublic.com/view/story/8418f1c8a9b844a398f1564e9803cfb3/GA--Georgia-Redistricting/

[napi21]

1. In all fairness, in Ga. I don't thik it matters! Unless you live in the City of Atlanta,

Democrats are like hen's teeth...few to nonexistant! I understand there are more Dems in Athens, but the rest of the State are all loony Pubs!

[RebelOne]

3. Yep, all Republicans in my county in North Georgia.

That's why I do not ever bother to vote in the local elections. There aren't any Democrats on the ballot.

[napi21]

4. YOu have no idea how many times I've talked to the local Dem Party about "WHY there are so many Pub

incumants running unopposed"!

I still vote all the time, but it amazes me how few Dems there are anywhere I've been in the South.

I'm from North Ga. too. My very non-political husband came home yeterday morningfrom walking our two little dogs and he said"Well, I just got into a bit of a tiff with one of the neighbors." The only reason he knows anything about what's going on in politics is because I have MSNBC on during dinner, or he hears KPOJ out of Oregon streaming on my computer during the day. Apparently out of the blue one of the neighbors plaming Obama for this whole mess. they exchanged words and he ended the conversation by saying "So would you rather have President Palin?" He sid she jut said they're all bad, and walked away.

[saras]

2. Partisan districting is a mistake - it just looks good when you think you'll be in power forever