Brian Kemp Brings Georgia into the Gerrymander Chaos

Oh dear.  Brian Kemp, Governor of Georgia, is calling lawmakers back for a special session to start June 17th to work on redrawing the voting districts AND work on some changes to the voting system.  This is in reaction to the Supreme Courts Louisiana vs Callais decision that gutted the voting rights act.  The redrawing would  not affect the 2026 elections which are currently in progress.  It will apply to the 2028 elections.  Kemp said it was too late to change Georgia’s maps for 2026, but that the Callais decision requires Georgia to change its electoral maps.




Kemp's term as governor is ending.  A new governor will be elected in the current 2026 election.

Georgia has 14 districts.  Five of the representatives are black.  

Funny (not in a good way) - This headline was from just 12 days ago - before the Supreme Court blew up The Voting Rights Act - 




Republicans are very worried they could lose power in the 2026 mid-terms.  They are pulling out all the stops to prevent that from happening and it doesn't seem to matter whether the plus they use are ethical or not.  Some of the plus are an effort to change the 2026 elections.  Some are meant to put in place laws that will make the 2028 election more likely to swing Republican.  





Quote from Joyce Vance -

Here’s the perspective part: Sometimes you need to step back, because when you focus only on the trees, you miss the forest. We are seeing a radical, racist transformation of voting maps in many Republican-led states. The larger question we should be asking is: why?

The answer is self-evident, but it’s important that we say it directly. Republicans are afraid they can’t win elections on the merits of their governance and policies. So now, they’ve turned to moving the goalposts, changing the rules for winning elections so they can try to hold onto power nonetheless.

Note:  There is more to this story.  There are other very concerning things Kemp is doing to change voting laws.  Be particularly alert to what they are doing to remove the D and R from ballot names to make voting more confusing.   We need to stay informed!!!  And we need to respond!!!!!!!!


READ MORE 

May 13, 2026 - Heather Cox Richardson.   On May 13—today—Georgia governor Brian Kemp called a special session of the Georgia General Assembly for June 17 to redraw Georgia’s congressional maps before the 2028 election. He said it was too late to change Georgia’s maps for 2026, but that the Callais decision requires Georgia to change its electoral maps.

Kemp signs metro Atlanta elections overhaul as prosecutors vow lawsuit - AJC.  Critics call it a direct attack on Democratic power in Clayton, Cobb, DeKalb, Fulton and Gwinnett counties and an effort to punish Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis, who became a favorite GOP target after she sought election interference charges against President Donald Trump and his allies.  Democratic district attorneys have promised to sue the state to block the law, which opponents say disproportionately affects Black elected leaders. All five counties covered by the law have Black Democratic women serving as district attorney.




The Redistricting Race to the Bottom - Joyce Vance    Even though Kemp’s stated plans concern the 2028 election, people familiar with Georgia politics, including Fair Fight President Lauren Groh-Wargo, have pointed out that Republicans could return during the lame-duck session later this year and “gut the congressional maps” if Democrats win the governor’s mansion and/or the state legislature.   Note: This post includes info about how things are changing in numerous states - Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, Tennessee, Florida, and South Carolina.

Georgia governor calls for Republicans to gerrymander maps ahead of 2028 elections - Democracy Docket. U.S. Sen. Raphael Warnock (D-Ga.) quickly condemned the move.  “We just learned that Georgia is moving forward with gerrymandering for 2028,” Warnock wrote. “There is an extreme movement in this country that will stop at nothing to hold on to power, even if it means stripping representation away from millions.I will fight this with everything I have.”

Georgia Governor Calls Special Session to Redistrict for 2028 Elections - NYT.    But in Georgia, where early voting for next week’s primaries has already begun, lawmakers will instead consider new maps for 2028, taking action now in case Republicans lose control of the governor’s office or the State Legislature in November.

Georgia’s Republican governor calls for special session to redraw electoral maps - The Guardian.   The Republicans could seek to draw the Democratic representative Sanford Bishop, a Black member of Congress who has served since 1993, out of his seat, the Atlanta Journal Constitution noted. Other districts are less clear and could risk a “dummymander”, where an aggressive redraw backfires on the majority party.

“Dummymander” is a play on the term “gerrymander,” and it refers to a redrawing of a district map that actually ends up benefiting the opposite party that was designed to help.



WHO TO CONTACT

Your opinion only matters to our lawmakers if you let them know!  


Governor of Georgia
Brian Kemp
206 Washington Street 
Suite 203 
State Capitol 
Atlanta, GA   30334
Phone:   (404) 656-1776

Attorney General
Chris Carr
https://law.georgia.gov
40 Capitol Square SW
Atlanta, GA 30334

Lieutenant Governor
Burt Jones
https://ltgov.georgia.gov
240 State Capitol
Atlanta, GA 30334
(404) 656-5030

Secretary of State
Brad Raffensperger
https://sos.ga.gov
214 State Capitol
Atlanta, Georgia 30334
404-656-2881

Senator
Jon Ossoff
https://www.ossoff.senate.gov
317 Hart Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510
Phone:   (202) 224-3521

Senator
Raphael Warnock
https://www.warnock.senate.gov
717 Hart Senate Office Building
Washington, DC   20510
Phone:  (202) 224-3643



This includes contact info for all 14 US House Representatives.