THE HALFAX HEIMDALL AUGUR

Georgia state lawmakers scuttle redistricting plans - WABE Election Georgia Legislature Politics Race Redistricting Georgia state lawmakers scuttle redistricting plans Redistricting Associated Press | AP June 17th, 2026 Updated June 17, 2026, 4:08 PM EDT House Speaker Jon Burns at a press conference on the first day of the Georgia special session on Wednesday, June 17, 2026. (Matthew Pearson/WABE) The Republican leaders of the Georgia House of Representatives and Georgia state Senate said that they will not redraw Georgia’s political maps during the special legislative session that started on Wednesday due to pending legal cases. “We are confident that Georgia will prevail in the pending appeals and look forward to receiving additional judicial opinions to assist us in our future map-drawing efforts,” House Speaker Jon Burns and the rest of the House leadership team wrote Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp in a letter. “Changes to Georgia’s maps should take place only when members of the General Assembly and citizens have been given ample opportunity to gather the facts, provide input, and engage in meaningful discussion,” they added. “For this reason, we will not be taking up congressional …

How Republicans Are Breaking Up Majority-Black Districts - The New York ... La. Ala. Tenn. Majority-Black districts eliminated by redistricting Ala. La. Tenn. Majority-Black districts eliminated by redistricting After the Supreme Court weakened the Voting Rights Act in late April, Republican lawmakers across the South scrambled to redraw their states’ congressional maps. The court’s decision allowed Republicans, who hold supermajorities in legislatures across the South, to go after more Democratic-held House districts, extending a lengthy tit-for-tat redistricting battle with Democrats that had seemed at an end. While Republicans said they were focused only on partisan advantage, not race, the changes effectively targeted areas where Black voters form the majority. The effort angered many Black Democrats, who accused conservatives of intentionally undermining their voting power in a region with a painful history of discrimination. Voting remains racially polarized in the South, so Black voters have historically backed Democrats. Here’s a look at how Louisiana, Alabama and Tennessee broke up majority-Black districts. On Wednesday, Georgia Republicans abruptly shelved plans during a…

Facebook Twitter WhatsApp SMS Email Support Local Journalism If you value these stories, please consider subscribing. Subscribe Facebook Twitter WhatsApp SMS Email Print Copy article link Save Facebook Twitter WhatsApp SMS Email Print Copy article link Save ATLANTA (AP) — Georgia’s Republican legislative leaders on Wednesday rejected Gov. Brian Kemp’s call to redraw congressional and legislative districts during a special session, citing concerns about moving too quickly after a U.S. Supreme Court decision weakened federal Voting Rights Act protections for minority voters. House Speaker Jon Burns sent Kemp a letter hours before a special session was set to begin Wednesday, and he announced the decision as demonstrators filled the Georgia Capitol with chants of “Black voters matter!” The decision marked a setback for both Kemp and President Donald Trump, who has urged Republican-led states to redraw congressional districts to their advantage. Ten states already have enacted new congressional districts ahead of the November midterm elections. Georgia would have been the first to change districts for the 2028 elections. Burns said lawmakers want to take their time after the court’s de…

Republicans have gained an edge in a US House redistricting battle ... Elections Republicans have gained an edge in a US House redistricting battle. What states are taking action? State troopers remove people from the House gallery during a special session of the state legislature to redraw U.S. Congressional voting maps Thursday, May 7, 2026, in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/George Walker IV) Republicans have opened up an advantage in a national redistricting battle among states after a pair of court rulings that weakened federal Voting Rights Act protections for minorities and invalidated a key Democratic redistricting effort. A recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling that struck down a Black-majority congressional district in Louisiana has provided grounds for Republicans in several Southern states to try to eliminate House districts with large minority populations that had been protected under the Voting Rights Act. Meanwhile, a Virginia Supreme Court ruling invalidated a voter-approved congressional map that Democrats had been counting on to deliver as many as four additional U.S. House seats. The court said Democratic lawmakers had violated the state constitution when placing the prop…

Georgia Republican lawmakers drop plans to redistrict, citing pending ... Senate President Pro Tempore Larry Walker joined by House Speaker Jon Burns for a press conference where Burns announced Republicans would not pursue redistricting efforts during the special session on June 17, 2026, in the state Capitol in Atlanta. Alander Rocha/Georgia Recorder Georgia Republicans abruptly changed course on redistricting Wednesday, retreating from their plans to redraw congressional and state district lines for the 2028 election less than an hour before lawmakers gaveled in for the special session. In a joint press conference Wednesday, House Speaker Jon Burns, a Newington Republican, and Senate President Pro Tem Larry Walker III, a Perry Republican, told a boisterous crowd that they planned to focus on securing property tax relief and ratifying last month’s gas tax suspension rather than redistricting. Lawmakers must also address a July 1 deadline forQR codes to be removedfrom Georgia’s ballots. “As we convene today, the Georgia House Republicans are focused on Georgia’s future and the issues that really matter to our neighbors across this state, not partisan gain,” Burns said. Both l…

Georgia Republicans decline to redraw congressional map after voting rights decision <p>Lawmakers cite rushed timeline and public input despite pressure to redraw districts after supreme court opinion</p><p><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/state-of-georgia">Georgia</a> Republicans declined to redraw the state’s congressional map during a special session, citing a rushed timeline and incomplete understanding of the ramifications of a recent <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/us-supreme-court">US supreme court</a> decision that effectively gutted a major section of the Voting Rights Act.</p><p>“We believe that it’s important to do things the Georgia way, responsibly, transparently, and with ample opportunity for public input,” said Jon Burns, the Georgia house speaker.</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/jun/17/georgia-republicans-congressional-redistricting">Continue reading...</a>

Facebook Twitter WhatsApp SMS Email Support Local Journalism If you value these stories, please consider subscribing. Subscribe Facebook Twitter WhatsApp SMS Email Print Copy article link Save Facebook Twitter WhatsApp SMS Email Print Copy article link Save ATLANTA (AP) — Georgia’s Republican legislative leaders on Wednesday rejected Gov. Brian Kemp’s call to redraw congressional and legislative districts during a special session, citing concerns about moving too quickly after a U.S. Supreme Court decision weakened federal Voting Rights Act protections for minority voters. House Speaker Jon Burns sent Kemp a letter hours before a special session was set to begin Wednesday, and he announced the decision as demonstrators filled the Georgia Capitol with chants of “Black voters matter!” The decision marked a setback for both Kemp and President Donald Trump, who has urged Republican-led states to redraw congressional districts to their advantage. Ten states already have enacted new congressional districts ahead of the November midterm elections. Georgia would have been the first to change districts for the 2028 elections. Burns said lawmakers want to take their time after the court’s de…

Georgia Republicans backtracked on gerrymandering because they feared a ... People listen to lawmakers speak during a special legislative session at the state capitol, Wednesday, June 17, 2026, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart) Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Bluesky Georgia Republicans’ rushed attempt to redraw the state’s political maps collapsed Wednesday before lawmakers could even begin, handing voting rights advocates an important win and exposing the political risk of the GOP’s post-Callais push to dilute Black voting power. It happened after Democrats and civil rights advocates turned the planned special session into a public showdown over minority voting rights — Sen. Raphael Warnock (D-Ga.) called the plan “a betrayal of the highest in the American ideals” — drawing attention to how Georgia Republicans were looking to weaken Black political representation. Just hours before the Georgia legislature was set to convene for a special session called by Gov. Brian Kemp (R), state House Republican leaders told Kemp they would not take up congressional or legislative redistricting for the 2028 election. The move abruptly derailed Kemp’s plan to use a recent U.S. Su…

ATLANTA (AP) — A day after postponing plans to redraw Georgia’s congressional and legislative districts, state lawmakers were poised Thursday to delay making any changes to the state’s current vote-counting method. That would mean the system, which relies on a QR code to tally the votes, will remain in place for the November election, an outcome some voting rights advocates preferred to avoid creating confusion at polling sites. Georgia’s governor, Republican Brian Kemp, had placed redistricting and the state’s election system on the agenda for a special legislative session. On Wednesday — the first day of the session — lawmakers rejected his call for redistricting for the 2028 election, citing concerns about moving too quickly after a U.S. Supreme Court decision weakened federal Voting Rights Act protections for minority voters. On Thursday, they advanced legislation that would postpone a looming deadline to change the election system used throughout the political battleground state. That system relies on a QR code printed on ballots to tally the votes. It has drawn the ire of President Donald Trump, who claimed without evidence that voting machines in Georgia deleted or switched …

ATLANTA (AP) — A day after postponing plans to redraw Georgia’s congressional and legislative districts, state lawmakers were poised Thursday to delay making any changes to the state’s current vote-counting method. That would mean the system, which relies on a QR code to tally the votes, will remain in place for the November election, an outcome some voting rights advocates preferred to avoid creating confusion at polling sites. Georgia’s governor, Republican Brian Kemp, had placed redistricting and the state’s election system on the agenda for a special legislative session. On Wednesday — the first day of the session — lawmakers rejected his call for redistricting for the 2028 election, citing concerns about moving too quickly after a U.S. Supreme Court decision weakened federal Voting Rights Act protections for minority voters. On Thursday, they advanced legislation that would postpone a looming deadline to change the election system used throughout the political battleground state. That system relies on a QR code printed on ballots to tally the votes. It has drawn the ire of President Donald Trump, who claimed without evidence that voting machines in Georgia deleted or switched …

Georgia Republican lawmakers won't redraw districts for 2028 elections ... People listen and cheer as lawmakers speak about redistricting during a special legislative session at the state capitol, Wednesday, June 17, 2026, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart) People demonstrate during a special legislative session at the state capitol, Wednesday, June 17, 2026, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart) Senate President Pro Tempore Larry Walker III speaks during a special legislative session at the state capitol, Wednesday, June 17, 2026, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart) People listen and cheer as lawmakers speak about redistricting during a special legislative session at the state capitol, Wednesday, June 17, 2026, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart) Speaker of the House Jon Burns, R-Newington, speaks during a special legislative session at the state capitol, Wednesday, June 17, 2026, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart) ATLANTA (AP) — Georgia’s Republican legislative leaders on Wednesday rejected Gov. Brian Kemp’scall to redraw congressional and legislative districtsduring a special session, citing concerns about moving too quickly after aU.S. Supreme Court decisionweakened feder…