Georgia

Redistricting Process: Legislative	Population Change (since 2000): 1,501,200
Legislature: Republican	Seats: 14 (+1 from 2010)
Governor: Nathan Deal (R)	Members of Congress: 9R, 5D
Party Control: Republican	2012: 45.4% Obama, 53.4% Romney

 
Map Instructions:

Three maps are available for each state. Each has new district outlines in bold.
Click on each district on the map to see more information.
Click the arrow button to switch between districts that are close together.
 
New Districts by Party Representation

Redistricting Analysis: Georgia Adds One District

2010 Redistricting Changes:

Old Districts by Partisan Voting Index with New District Outlines
Old Districts by Party Representation with New District Outlines

Between 2000 and 2010, Georgia’s population grew by 18.3%. This was nearly twice the growth rate of the United States, which grew at 9.7%. This rapid population increase allowed Georgia to gain one congressional representative. The state now has fourteen congressional districts. In 2010, Georgia’s population was 9,687,663. The ideal population of each district is approximately 691, 976.

In 2000, the state had a demographic breakdown of 62.6% White, 28.7% African American, and 2.1% Asian. Compared to many of its neighbors, Georgia has a small Hispanic and Latino population of just 5.3%. By 2010, Whites decreased to 55.5% percent of the population, African Americans were 31.0% and Asians 3.4%. The Latino population also grew quickly, increasing to 9.1%. Much of the population growth was localized to northern Georgia, meaning that that the new district would likely be created there. This caused a rift between geographic regions, as representatives from each district sought to maintain the contours of their old districts.

In Georgia, redistricting is handled much like regular legislation, with the Georgia General Assembly responsible for map creation. The state is also one of sixteen states which are subject to judicial approval. During map deliberations, the Georgia state legislature was controlled by the Republican Party, which held 116 of its 180 seats. Republicans also controlled the senate, with 36 of 56 seats. Republican Nathan Deal was the governor.

Despite this majority, Georgia’s redistricting process was hardly smooth. Almost immediately, Republicans began infighting along geographic divides. Eventually, the disagreements were resolved with a compromise, giving northern and southern legislator’s joint control of the redistricting committee. Republicans also created a new office focusing on congressional reapportionment, which had previously been carried out through the University of Georgia. While the new office ultimately employed many of the same individuals, Democrats lambasted their opponents for keeping them in the dark. They demanded the creation of another, similarly equipped office with the express purpose of providing services like legal consultation for Democratic legislators. The state never created another office.

On August 22, 2011, Republicans released their first proposal. The initial map was met with widespread criticism. Opponents, notably Democrats and women, alleged that the map diminished the power of minorities in the Atlanta area. In addition, the plan displaced Representative John Borrow of the 12th District, who would likely move to seek re-election in his old territory. Despite the criticism, the House of Representatives approved the proposal along a party line vote with minimal amendments.

In September, Governor Nathan Deal signed the maps into law. The Governor voiced his support for the legislation, stating that the identified districts were “compact…keep communities of interest together, and visually make sense.” Shortly after, Georgia filed for approval with the Department of Justice and the US District Court. Legislators continued to challenge the Voting Rights Act, particularly the clause requiring preclearance. The court only proposed minor adjustments to the maps, and the revisions were passed by a 101-53 margin. Many Democrats reluctantly voted in support of the bill, unwilling to engage in another lengthy redistricting process.

First District

Georgia’s First District is located on the southeastern portion of the state, and holds seventeen distinct counties. The largest of these are Chatham and Bibb counties, which have populations of 265,128 and 112,650, respectively. By comparison, the third largest county, Glenn, has a population of only 79,626. The district has shrunk considerably from its predecessor, losing much inland territory in the northwestern portion of the area. It lost Wheeler, Telfair, Jeff Davis, Coffee, Berrien, Cook, Lanier, Atkinson and Appling Counties and part of Lowndes County to the Eight and Twelfth Districts. It also gained Chatham County and a portion of Effingham County. Now, the district is primarily rural, bordering the northern edge of Florida. The overall population of the first district is 691,974, missing the ideal population by just one.

Demographically, the district has a significant minority population, with approximately 30.02% of residents identifying as African American. An additional 5.75% are Hispanic.

Second District

Georgia’s Second Congressional District is located on the southwestern corner of the state, and has twenty-nine distinct counties. Following redistricting, the Second lost Thomas, Brooks, Lowndes and Worth Counties in the southeastern corner to the Eighth District but gained part of Bibb County in its northeastern region. It also gained part of Muscogee from the Third District in the northwestern corner of the state. The population of the Second District is 691,976. Of these, 51.29% identify as African Americans, and 4.56% identify as Hispanic or Latino. The district carries a Cook PVI score of D+4.

Third District

Georgia’s Third District is located on the western border of the state, between the Second and Fourteenth. Following redistricting, the district gained Carroll County from the formed fourteenth district. It parts of Douglas, Fayette, Henry and Rockdale Counties to the Thirteenth and Fourth Districts. The third district has a population of 691,974 people. Of these, 23.06% identify as African American and 5.04% as Hispanic or Latino. The district has typically leaned Republican, and has a Cook PVI score of R+19.

Fourth District

The Fourth District is located in north-central Georgia containing portions of the Atlanta metropolitan area. It is surrounded by the Fifth, Sixth, Seventh, Tenth, and Thirteenth districts. The district grew in size, gaining parts of Newton, Gwinnett and Rockdale Counties from the Tenth, Seventh and Third districts. It did, however, lose parts of DeKalb and Gwinnett Counties to the Fifth, Sixth, and Seventh districts. The Fourth has a population of 691,976 of which 57.5% identify as African American and 9.34% as Hispanic or Latino. It has a Cook PVI score of D+17.

Fifth District

Georgia’s Fifth District is located in the center of the state, and borders the Fourth, Thirteenth, Sixth, and Eleventh districts. It contains the majority of Atlanta as well as the state capital. The district lost some of Fulton County to the Eleventh District. It gained parts of DeKalb and Clayton Counties, however, from the Fourth and Thirteenth districts. The Fifth has a population of 691,976 of which 59.14% identify as African American and 7.89% as Hispanic or Latino. The district has a Cook PVI score of D+31.

Sixth District

Georgia’s Sixth District is located in the northern part of the state. It consists of the northern suburbs of Atlanta. It lost Cherokee County to the Eleventh District. It gained, however, part of DeKalb County from the Fourth. The district has a Cook PVI score of R+12. The sixth district has a population of 691,975 people of which 12.47% identify as African American and 13.35% as Hispanic or Latino.

Seventh District

Georgia’s Seventh District is located in the center of the state. The district includes northeastern portions of the Atlanta metropolitan area. It lost about half of its size following redistricting due to losing Walton and Barrow Counties and part of Gwinnett County to the Tenth District. It gained size acquiring Forsyth County from the Ninth. The Seventh District has a Cook PVI score of R+16.It has a population of 691,975 of which 18.07% identify as African American and 18.78% as Hispanic or Latino.

Eighth District

The Eighth District is in the southern part of the state, and lies between the Second and First districts. It is one of Georgia’s larger congressional districts in terms of area. Following redistricting, it lost Bibb County to the Second, but gained Worth, Thomas and Brooks Counties and part of Lowndes County from the Second District. It gained Cook, Berrien, Atkinson and Lanier Counties from the First District, and lost Wilkinson County to the Twelfth District. It also lost Jasper and Butts Counties as well as part of Newton and Baldwin Counties to the Tenth District in its northern section. The district has a Cook PVI rating of R+15.The district’s population is 691,976 of which 29.62% are African American and 5.72% are Hispanic or Latino.

Ninth District

The Ninth District is located in the northeastern corner of the state. It gained Town, Rabun, Habersham, Stephens, Franklin, Hart, Elbert, Madison, Jackson, and Banks Counties and part of Clarke County on its eastern side from the Tenth District. However, it lost Dade, Walker, Catoosa, Whitfield, Murray, and Gordon Counties and part of Pickens County on the west side to the Fourteenth. It also lost part of Forsyth County to the Seventh District. It has a Cook PVI rating of R+27.The district’s population is 691,975 of which 6.66% are African American and 11.48% identify as Hispanic or Latino.

Tenth District

The Tenth District is located on the eastern side of the state. Following redistricting, its geographic lines were changed quite drastically. It lost Town, Rabun, Habersham, Stephens, Banks, Franklin, Hart, Jackson, Madison, Elbert and part of Clarke Counties to the Ninth. It also lost parts of Columbia and Richmond Counties to the Twelfth. However, it gained Baldwin, Barrow, Butts, Glascock, Gwinnett, Hancock, Henry, Jasper, Jefferson, Johnson, Taliaferro, Walton, Warren and Washington Counties and parts of Newton, Henry and Gwinnett Counties from the Seventh, Eighth, and Twelfth Districts. It has a Cook PVI rating of R+14. The population of District 10 is 691,976, of which 24.91% are African American and 4.71% identify as Hispanic or Latino.

Eleventh District

The Eleventh District is located in the northwestern portion of the Atlanta metropolitan area. It changed drastically following the creation of Georgia’s new Fourteenth District. It lost Chattooga, Floyd, Polk, Harrison and Paulding Counties as well as parts of Carroll and Gordon Counties to this new district, but gained Cherokee County and part of Fulton County from the Fifth, Sixth, and Thirteenth Districts. It has a Cook PVI rating of R+19. The district’s population is 691,975 of which 15.57% are African American, and 10.85% identify as Hispanic or Latino.

Twelfth District

The Twelfth District is located on the eastern side of Georgia, and is bordered to the north by the Tenth District and to the south by the First. It lost about half of its northern portion to the Tenth District when it lost Taliaferro, Hancock, Baldwin, Washington, Johnson, Jefferson, Glascock and Warren Counties. It also lost Chatham County and part of Effingham County to the First. However, it gained Appling, Coffee, Jeff Davis, Laurens and Wheeler Counties and part of Columbia County from the Eighth and First Districts. The district has a Cook PVI rating of R+9. The district’s population is 691,975 people, of which 34.42% are African American and 5.33% identify as Hispanic or Latino.

Thirteenth District

The Thirteenth District is located in the southern and western portions of the Atlanta metropolitan area. It lost DeKalb County and parts of Clayton and Cobb Counties to the Eleventh and Fifth districts. It gained Douglas County and parts of Fayette and Henry Counties from the Third and Fifth Districts as well. It has a Cook PVI score of D+9. The district’s population is 691,976 of which 55.28% identify as African American and 10.30% as Hispanic or Latino.

Fourteenth District

The Fourteenth District is a new district that was created following the 2010 census. It is in the northwestern corner of the state. It is comprised of Dade, Walker, Catoosa, Whitfield, Murray, Chattooga, Floyd, Gordon, Polk, Harrison and Paulding Counties as well as part of Pickens County taken from the old Ninth and Eleventh districts. The district has a Cook PVI score of R+24. Its population is 691,974 of which 8.37% identify as African American and 10.26% as Hispanic or Latino.