What to expect during Georgia's special legislative session

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Georgia's 2023 special legislative session will kick off on Wednesday.

Credit: GPB News

Lawmakers will convene on Wednesday to re-draw Georgia's voting districts after federal Judge Steve Jones said that the current maps "dilute Black voting power."

Jones found that five of Georgia's 14 congressional districts violated the Voting Rights Act, as well as 10 of Georgia's 56 state Senate districts and 11 of its 180 state House districts.

University of Georgia political science professor Charles Bullock said that the state will likely gain a Democratic U.S. House seat, and some state Senate and House seats may flip Democratic. 

"Jones has found that in parts of Georgia, Black voters have less chance to elect their candidate of choice than do white voters," Bullock said. "And so when you find that kind of situation, you have to take immediate corrective action."

Bullock said that redistricting is high-risk for some lawmakers, especially Republicans in some of the areas Jones identified as problematic. 

“Some individuals, primarily Republicans, are going to end up either in a district with another Republican, another legislator, or they may find themselves in a district which is not going to be likely to elect a Republican," he said.

WATCH a special edition of Lawmakers on the redistricting special session Wednesday night at 7 p.m. on GPB TV and GPB.org.

Major district changes are most likely in areas just south of Atlanta, Bullock said. Other areas could see smaller changes. 

Republicans currently have a 33-23 seat majority in the state Senate and a 102-78 seat majority in the state House. Redistricting could help Democrats narrow the margins. Republicans hold nine out of Georgia's 14 U.S. House seats. 

Lawmakers have until Dec. 8 to turn in new maps, which means that the special session could be up to 10 days long. If the changes are not up to par according to Jones, he can appoint someone else to revise districts again. Plaintiffs in the challenge against the current maps will also have a chance to criticize the new maps. 

Georgia has appealed Jones' order, but will still have to draw new maps in the meantime. 

Special sessions only convene when ordered by the governor, and only tackle issues laid out in the governor's order. This session, lawmakers cannot take up any issues other than redistricting and the gas tax, which was also mentioned in Gov. Brian Kemp’s special session order.