Redistricting debate bare-knuckle politics
Parties fight to save, gain Assembly seats
Rhonda Cook and James Salzer, Atlanta Journal-Constitution. July 29, 2001.
Originally appeared at http://www.accessatlanta.com/ajc/epaper/editions/sunday/local_news_b336ea9144c8713700a3.html.
This time around, it really is just about politics.
Unlike in 1991, when they met to redraw political boundaries based on the 1990
census, lawmakers coming to Atlanta this week won't have to focus solely on creating
as many majority-black districts as possible.
So legislators can admit their intentions for the 2001 redistricting session are purely
political: what's best for the party --- be it Democratic or Republican --- is best for
Georgia.
"It's not realistic to take the politics out of the process," said state Democratic
Chairman David Worley. "This is Politics 101. No map is adopted without political
considerations on the part of one party or the other."
Also unlike in 1991, everything will be on the Internet for the whole world to see, that
is, if you like studying Georgia maps in detail and watching lawmakers debating
political boundaries.
"It's an ugly, boring process," said Rep. Ben Harbin (R-Martinez), a member of the
House Redistricting Committee. "It's a lot of political infighting for turf. It's important,
but it's less exciting than watching paint dry."
The General Assembly starts meeting Wednesday to redraw legislative boundaries to
account for shifts in the state's population in the 1990s. It will come back later to draw
congressional lines.
At its base, the once-a-decade process of redistricting is about power, about who,
and which party, wields it. The right lines can make it much easier for one candidate
to win and make it more likely another will lose.
Among political players, what most characterizes redistricting is the urge for
self-preservation. Second comes the ability to reward friends and punish foes.
In redistricting, intentions are often veiled, albeit thinly.
In the maps proposed so far, protection has shown up as a multimember district in
north Atlanta putting Rep. Kathy Ashe (D-Atlanta) and another House member in one
super-sized district. Republicans say the purpose is to dilute the influence of the
constituents Ashe now has by lumping them in with Democratic voters. Ashe
switched from the Republican Party, and the GOP says Democrats are just trying to
make sure she gets re-elected.
Other maps are drawn to get rid of legislators by putting them into districts they
probably can't win. For instance, a Republican House member could be put into a
district heavy with voters who usually cast ballots for Democrats. Or the lawmaker's
home may be moved into the district of a popular colleague.
Some of the lines will move with the population because of the growth in metro
Atlanta and the lack of gains in small-town Georgia. Estimates are that six or seven
House seats and two Senate seats now in the southern half of the state will shift
north to reach the desired size of 45,900 people in each House district and 146,000
people in each Senate district.
That shift --- from traditional Democratic strongholds in the south to GOP suburbs in
North Atlanta --- may mean Democrats will have to do some fancy line drawing to
keep their majority.
"Now that Republicans make up 40 percent, roughly, of the Legislature, I suspect
both the Democrats and the Republicans feel there is more at stake," said University
of Georgia political scientist Charles Bullock.
Some of those shifts might suggest the GOP stands a chance of controlling the
Legislature, except the Democrats still hold the majority and will draw the lines.
"The trick for the Democrats is to hold their ranks," Bullock said. "If they can hold their
ranks, they can draw their plans, and the Republicans will be standing on the
sidelines screaming it's unfair."
The GOP is already doing that. "Democrats have become too focused on what is in
their own best interests and not what is in the best interests of the people of Georgia,"
Senate Republican Leader Eric Johnson of Savannah said when he released his
proposed map last week. "Redistricting should not be about political power or party
control or revenge. It should be about creating fair districts using an open process."
While the legal climate has changed since 1991, lawmakers still have some
restrictions.
Under the Voting Rights Act, Georgia is among 16 states and cities that must clear
new political maps with the U.S. Department of Justice because of a history of
disenfranchising minority voters. Ten years ago, legislators and the Justice
Department worked under the assumption that the law mandated as many
black-majority districts as possible.
But a series of U.S. Supreme Court decisions since then, including one based on a
Georgia map, have reduced the importance of race in redistricting, experts say. The
courts have said legislators cannot reduce minority voting strength, but race can't be
the primary concern when deciding where to put the lines.
"It's entirely different," said William Boone, a political science professor at Clark
Atlanta University. "Even though race can be one of the factors, it cannot be the
predominant factor. But the courts say politics is politics and they can move in a way,
rather blatantly, to protect incumbents. This time around, it does not appear that you'll
get as much collusion between blacks and Republicans."
In 1991, Republicans and black Democrats worked together in developing legislative
and congressional maps. While more blacks were elected than ever before,
Republicans came out ahead. Once African-American voters were pulled from
neighboring areas and packed into districts in an effort to maximize the number of
black-majority seats, those "bleached" districts favored Republican candidates.
The result was that the GOP took control of the state's congressional delegation ---
increasing the number of Republican congressmen since 1991 from one to eight out
of 11 members. Republicans moved closer to parity with Democrats in the General
Assembly. In the state Senate, the GOP increased its stake from 11 to 24 of the 56
seats. In the House, the gain was 35 to 73 of 180 seats
"Last time around, you had members of the (Legislative) Black Caucus . . . who did
not particularly see any need to be loyal to the state Democratic Party," Boone said.
"This time around, it seems to be a completely different ballgame."
Black Democrats say they're not falling for the Republican strategy this time.
"They're looking to increase their numbers," Rep. David Lucas (D-Macon) said. "They
did that to us 10 years ago. We're a helluva lot smarter now."
ON THE WEB
Political junkies can watch and listen to redistricting action through www.ganet.org/services/newleg/.
In addition, they will have access to digitized, interactive versions of maps being proposed by lawmakers at
www.georgia2000.org/, a site managed by the University of Georgia.
REDISTRICTING GEORGIA
CURRENT LEGISLATIVE SETS IN METRO ATLANTA Estimates are that six or seven Georgia House sets and
two Senate seats now in the southern half of the state will shift north, meaning metro Atlanta will have more
seats with many redrawn districts.
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Georgia 2000 Information System