Members of the Georgia House and Senate Reapportionment Committees spent part of Tuesday evening in Albany.
The meeting at Albany State University was the shortest yet of the meetings and had the fewest residents offer commentary on how to accomplish the redistricting process.
Senator John Kennedy (R-Macon) said they still don’t know when a special session of the legislature will be called to vote on new maps as they are still waiting updated census numbers.
MORE: Georgia’s Statewide Redistricting Meetings Resume
Representative Bonnie Rich (R-Suwanee) said the census bureau expects to release some preliminary data by mid-August, but the final data needed to draw the maps will not be released until September 30.
Just 23 people signed up to speak to the committees; 15 women, eight men, 11 persons of color and 12 Caucasian.
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Several of those speaking pointed to the needs of the mostly rural counties in south Georgia.
Rae Brashear, a resident of Thomas County, said she lived most of her life in metro Atlanta before moving to southern Georgia. She said she found a community of people who bond together for many different reasons.
“I don’t think the metropolitan area understands what the southern part of the state needs,” she said. “I ask you to please keep in your mind the needs that happen in south Georgia that are different from those in metropolitan Atlanta. We need your vote and your help to keep our community strong and vibrant.”
Henry Mathis asked what method the committee will use to redistrict the state.
“Are you going in the direction of population to draw the lines? Will race determine the re-drawing? Will this process be guided by partisanship?” he asked. “A democratic society works best when our voting maps are fairly drawn.”
There will be two more in-person meetings this week. On July 28 at Columbus State University in Columbus on July 28 and in Macon on July 29 in the Mercer School of Medicine.
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Members of the public may choose to speak in person and can sign up starting at 4:30 p.m. outside the meeting location. Speakers are asked to keep their comments to between two and five minutes.
The final hearing will be virtual participation only. It is scheduled for July 30. You will be able to speak at this hearing but must registration in advance. To sign up and register to speak, visit this website.
Citizens can also submit written comments here.
MORE: Georgia Redistricting Meetings Resume with a Stop in Athens
All the hearings are from 5 to 7 p.m. They are livestreamed at: https://www.legis.ga.gov/ and videos of each hearing are available there, as well.
The committees had planned to hold 11 of the town hall style meetings around the state. However, the Augusta hearing that was scheduled for July 7 was postponed because of Tropical Storm Elsa. It has not yet been re-scheduled.
Dana Lynn McIntyre is a Staff Reporter with The Augusta Press. You can reach her at dana@theaugustapress.com.
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