Republicans gerrymander Kidd's district
Please pass along to everyone you know who cares about justice and fairness. This is an outrage! It's not about me (Well, they WERE afraid I would win...) but about 3 senators getting together and deciding they didn't want a senator of the opposite party elected in their area.
We're talking about a consolidated government...the smallest county in the state and a county that votes majority Democratic. To split it up and design districts where there will likely be 2 Republican senators representing that county is not "representative government" it's dirty, partisan politics designed to disenfranchise the majority voting population.
If we raise a stink and fight back...the public and media outcry might keep the bill and others like it coming in the Senate and House, from moving forward. Governor Perdue doesn't want this issue to surface and neither do many Republican candidates.
Write the paper, call your friends, cause an uproar. The Dems are working on strategies up here. We need outrage in Athens!
Jane
Senate Republicans redraw three districts
by Tom Crawford on 1/9/2006
Senate Republicans are trying to redraw the boundaries of three northeast Georgia Senate districts, a move that could get rid of Democratic opposition in one of the Senate races later this year.
The redistricting involves Senate seats now held by Republicans: Sen. Brian Kemp of Athens in the 46th, Sen. Ralph Hudgens of Comer in the 47th, and Sen. Casey Cagle of Gainesville in the 49th.
The Senate Reapportionment Committee voted Monday to adopt a new plan that would modify the boundaries of the three districts. The major change would take Clarke County, which is now wholly contained within the 46th District, and split it between Districts 46 and 47.
That change would make Kemp's District 46, which is now a competitive district up for grabs between Democrats and Republicans, a more Republican-leaning district in terms of voter performance in recent elections.
Kemp is stepping down from the Senate this year to run for agriculture commissioner and Rep. Jane Kidd (D-Athens) had already announced she would run for the seat. Republican attorney Bill Cowsert, who is Kemp's brother-in-law, has also said he'll run in the 46th district.
Redrawing the district to make it more Republican, however, could persuade Kidd to get out of the Senate race and run again for her House seat instead. "I'll hold that option open," she said after learning of the committee action.
Kidd called the attempt to redraw the districts "gerrymandering" and noted that Sonny Perdue in the 2002 race for governor criticized the same kind of redistricting strategy when it was used by Democrats.
"This is exactly what Perdue railed against Roy Barnes about, this kind of gerrymandering," Kidd said. "I consider it a compliment. They know they can't beat me without changing the lines."
"It seems like Brian Kemp, as a goodbye to his Senate seat, is in cahoots with Ralph Hudgens," Kidd added. "I don't think Clarke County will be happy with this. They're being jerked around by their own senator."
Hudgens, who introduced the bill to redraw the three districts, agreed that the change in boundaries would make the 46th district "more attractive to Republicans." At the same time, he said the change will make his own 47th district "less attractive to Republican candidates."
The major goal of his proposal, Hudgens said, was to place Madison County, which is now split between two districts, entirely within the confines of the 47th District.
Hudgens said the Madison County Commission requested that county's placement in a single Senate district back in 2001. The Athens Area Chamber of Commerce had also requested more representation at the legislature, which it would get with two state senators rather than one, he added.
"We'd like to put small counties back together," Hudgens told the Reapportionment Committee. He said that Kemp and Cagle had also signed off on the redistricting proposal.
In addition to splitting Clarke County, the Hudgens bill moves Oglethorpe County from District 46 into District 47 and moves the northern half of Walton County from District 47 into District 46. A sliver of Madison County that is now part of District 46 (and also encompasses a house that Hudgens owns and would move back into) would be shifted to District 47. There would be some minor swapping of precincts between District 47 and District 49.
The redistricting bill was adopted by a straight party-line vote, with eight white Republicans on the committee outvoting four black Democrats.
"I understand what you're trying to do here, but it seems to me this is the redistricting that will never end," said Sen. Vincent Fort (D-Atlanta).
© 2006 by Capitolimpact.com
We're talking about a consolidated government...the smallest county in the state and a county that votes majority Democratic. To split it up and design districts where there will likely be 2 Republican senators representing that county is not "representative government" it's dirty, partisan politics designed to disenfranchise the majority voting population.
If we raise a stink and fight back...the public and media outcry might keep the bill and others like it coming in the Senate and House, from moving forward. Governor Perdue doesn't want this issue to surface and neither do many Republican candidates.
Write the paper, call your friends, cause an uproar. The Dems are working on strategies up here. We need outrage in Athens!
Jane
Senate Republicans redraw three districts
by Tom Crawford on 1/9/2006
Senate Republicans are trying to redraw the boundaries of three northeast Georgia Senate districts, a move that could get rid of Democratic opposition in one of the Senate races later this year.
The redistricting involves Senate seats now held by Republicans: Sen. Brian Kemp of Athens in the 46th, Sen. Ralph Hudgens of Comer in the 47th, and Sen. Casey Cagle of Gainesville in the 49th.
The Senate Reapportionment Committee voted Monday to adopt a new plan that would modify the boundaries of the three districts. The major change would take Clarke County, which is now wholly contained within the 46th District, and split it between Districts 46 and 47.
That change would make Kemp's District 46, which is now a competitive district up for grabs between Democrats and Republicans, a more Republican-leaning district in terms of voter performance in recent elections.
Kemp is stepping down from the Senate this year to run for agriculture commissioner and Rep. Jane Kidd (D-Athens) had already announced she would run for the seat. Republican attorney Bill Cowsert, who is Kemp's brother-in-law, has also said he'll run in the 46th district.
Redrawing the district to make it more Republican, however, could persuade Kidd to get out of the Senate race and run again for her House seat instead. "I'll hold that option open," she said after learning of the committee action.
Kidd called the attempt to redraw the districts "gerrymandering" and noted that Sonny Perdue in the 2002 race for governor criticized the same kind of redistricting strategy when it was used by Democrats.
"This is exactly what Perdue railed against Roy Barnes about, this kind of gerrymandering," Kidd said. "I consider it a compliment. They know they can't beat me without changing the lines."
"It seems like Brian Kemp, as a goodbye to his Senate seat, is in cahoots with Ralph Hudgens," Kidd added. "I don't think Clarke County will be happy with this. They're being jerked around by their own senator."
Hudgens, who introduced the bill to redraw the three districts, agreed that the change in boundaries would make the 46th district "more attractive to Republicans." At the same time, he said the change will make his own 47th district "less attractive to Republican candidates."
The major goal of his proposal, Hudgens said, was to place Madison County, which is now split between two districts, entirely within the confines of the 47th District.
Hudgens said the Madison County Commission requested that county's placement in a single Senate district back in 2001. The Athens Area Chamber of Commerce had also requested more representation at the legislature, which it would get with two state senators rather than one, he added.
"We'd like to put small counties back together," Hudgens told the Reapportionment Committee. He said that Kemp and Cagle had also signed off on the redistricting proposal.
In addition to splitting Clarke County, the Hudgens bill moves Oglethorpe County from District 46 into District 47 and moves the northern half of Walton County from District 47 into District 46. A sliver of Madison County that is now part of District 46 (and also encompasses a house that Hudgens owns and would move back into) would be shifted to District 47. There would be some minor swapping of precincts between District 47 and District 49.
The redistricting bill was adopted by a straight party-line vote, with eight white Republicans on the committee outvoting four black Democrats.
"I understand what you're trying to do here, but it seems to me this is the redistricting that will never end," said Sen. Vincent Fort (D-Atlanta).
© 2006 by Capitolimpact.com
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