Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp has signed senate bills 457 and 458 into law, redistricting voting districts for the Augusta Commission and the Richmond County school trustees.
The bills are the redistricting map draw by state Senators Max Burns (R-District 23) and Lee Anderson (R-District 24) without holding public hearings or receiving citizen input.
The 2020 census shows Richmond County population grew by 3% to 206,607 residents. That means the ideal, balanced district size is 25,825. However, District 3, represented by Catherine McKnight, grew by more than 21% and now has 31,316 residents.
The Burns/Anderson map moves precinct 309 out of district three, moving it to district five, currently represented by Commission Pres. Pro Tem Bobby Williams.
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McKnight was not surprised the governor signed the two bills.
“What can we do about I mean, you know, any redistricting. This is my first process of watching redistricting happen. Ten years ago, my dad was on the ad hoc committee. Our governor 10 years ago, he had to sign off on it. So, I mean, the governor signed off on it 10 years ago. And what do people expect? I mean, were they thinking he wasn’t going to sign?”
The 2010 redistricting plan ended up in federal court when a locally drawn plan was not approved by the commission and failed to pass in the state legislature.
The Richmond County Ad Hoc Redistricting Committee worked for months, including a series of public meetings, to create a redistricting map for the county. The districts are for both the Augusta Commission and the Richmond County School Trustees.
MORE: Tempers flair at residents’ press conference over redistricting
In the end, both the commission and school board voted to use a draft map that was drawn by the Legislative and Congressional Reapportionment Office in Atlanta without local input. The vote in both bodies was 6-to-4 and broke along racial lines. The map was sent to Atlanta for legislative approval.
During a Jan. 6 meeting between the Augusta Commission and members of the local legislative delegation Burns announced he would not support that map.
“In November, Senator Jones and myself, asked the redistricting office in Atlanta to review the map that they had proposed, and to provide an alternative map that would maintain precinct boundaries where they could and maintain communities of interest. Senator Jones, as a member of the ad hoc committee took it to the committee,” said Burns. “There were three maps that were provided as alternatives from your board of elections. And again, none of those maps made it through a consideration process. So, we have five alternatives to work with. But the worst alternative, in my mind, was the first option, which was the starting point. It had no input from the community. It provided no opportunity for adjustments. And so regrettably, I’m not in a position to support that.”
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Nearly two dozen residents of Richmond County District 3 vowed to fight against the Burns/Anderson redistricting map during a Feb. 23 news conference called by James Germany of the Elderberry subdivision.
“I’m here today because I’m angry. I’m angry because I’m being disrespected. I’m angry because my voice and wishes have fallen on deaf ears. I’m angry because those that have traditionally and historically been proven to do the wrong thing continue to do so,” said Germany.
District 4 Commissioner Alvin Mason has called a March 1 news conference at 1 p.m. at the municipal building to discuss the redistricting process and map.
Dana Lynn McIntyre is a general assignment reporter for The Augusta Press. Reach her at dana@theaugustapress.com
