ATLANTA – State Representative Viola Davis (D-Stone Mountain) recently voted against House Bill 1EX and Senate Bills 1EX and 2EX, legislation which would update Georgia’s legislative and congressional district maps. During the 2021 special legislative session, these three bills received final passage and were sent to the governor to be signed into law.
“I voted against three Republican redistricting bills due to a lack of an open and transparent redistricting process,” said Rep. Davis. “There was a lack of public involvement after the maps were drafted, particularly in metro Atlanta, and these maps unfairly dilute representation within Black communities and communities of color. Without a doubt, these maps unfairly represent Georgia’s one million new residents who are mostly non-white.”
The Georgia General Assembly recently convened for a special legislative session following the arrival of the 2020 U.S. Census data. During the special session, General Assembly was responsible for adopting legislation that would redraw and update the state’s legislative and congressional maps based on the new census data.
If signed into law, HB 1EX would update the Georgia House of Representatives district map, SB 1EX would update the Georgia Senate district map, and SB 2EX would update Georgia’s congressional district map. You can view these legislative and congressional district maps on the nonpartisan Legislative and Congressional Reapportionment Office’s website under the “Proposed Plans” section here.
All legislation related to the redistricting process that passed in the House and Senate has been sent to the governor to be signed into law. If the bills for the legislative and congressional maps are signed into law, they will be implemented by election officials ahead of the 2022 election cycle.
In August 2020, House and Senate Reapportionment committees launched an online portal about the redistricting process. The public comment portal can be found here.
For more information on HB 1EX, or the Georgia House of Representatives Redistricting Act of 2021, please click here.
For more information on SB 1EX, or the Georgia Senate Redistricting Act of 2021, please click here.
For more information on SB 2EX, or the Georgia Congressional Redistricting Act, please click here.
Representative Viola Davis represents the citizens of District 87, which includes portions of DeKalb County. She was elected to the House of Representatives in 2018 and currently serves on the Natural Resources & Environment, Insurance, Interstate Cooperation and Science and Technology committees.
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