Georgia gains 14th congressional seat based on new census

WASHINGTON -- Georgia will get a 14th seat in the U.S. House and an extra vote in the Electoral College in 2012 based on U.S. Census Bureau figures released Tuesday.

The census numbers show that the state's population increased by 18.3 percent in the past decade to 9,727,566 as of April 1. It was the second-highest percentage increase of any state on the East Coast, following only North Carolina at 18.5 percent. North Carolina's population, however, did not climb high enough to warrant an additional congressional seat.

Two of Georgia's neighbors, however, did gain seats through the census-based reapportionment process. Florida will add two seats, and South Carolina gets one more. Texas gained the most of any state, adding four.

Overall, the nation's population grew by 9.7 percent in the past decade and now stands at 308,745,538.

The census data will be used to help determine how much funding Georgia and other states get in the future from Washington for transportation improvements, Medicaid, education grants, and other projects and programs.

More people means more federal money and more political influence for Georgia in coming years.

"As our state continues to grow, so does our influence and stature on the national stage," Gov.-elect Nathan Deal said in a statement welcoming the census data.

The primary purpose for the decennial census, however, is to determine how the 435 seats in the U.S. House will be divided among the 50 states. The figures also will be used to determine how Georgia divides its seats in the Georgia Assembly.

More specific county-level data will be delivered to Georgia and other states beginning in February but no later than April 1. In late summer of 2011, the General Assembly is scheduled to convene in a special session to actually draw the new congressional and legislative maps.

Based on the census data released Tuesday, each of Georgia's U.S. House members will represent about 695,000 people.

At their core, census data indicate that metro Atlanta will continue to overshadow much of the rest of the state.

Preliminary estimates show that as many as six state House seats and two state Senate seats will likely shift from South Georgia to metro Atlanta, said Dan O'Connor, a reapportionment researcher at the Georgia House.

Additionally, the new congressional district will almost assuredly be in the northern suburbs of Atlanta, where most of the state's growth over the past 10 years has occurred.

Since the northern suburbs are predominately Republican, the GOP has a distinct advantage in redistricting.

It also doesn't hurt that the state Legislature, which is responsible for redistricting, is dominated by Republicans and that the governor-elect, who is responsible for approving the redistricting maps, also is a Republican.

"That will probably be a Republican seat just based on population patterns," said Republican U.S. Rep. Lynn Westmoreland, who has led GOP redistricting efforts in the past and more recently led census oversight for the House Republicans.

Based on population estimates, the new congressional district will probably be created from bits and pieces of the congressional districts currently held by Republican Reps. John Linder of Lawrenceville, Tom Price of Roswell and Phil Gingrey of Marietta, Westmoreland said. The 7th Congressional District currently held by Linder has seen the biggest increase in population in the past decade, meaning it will likely shrink geographically through redistricting, he said.

All of that doesn't mean redistricting will be a cakewalk for the GOP, however.

Past redistricting efforts in Georgia have resulted in tough political battles. Political and legal challenges during the last redistricting, for instance, went all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court. Memories of the partisan battle did not help then-Gov. Roy Barnes when he sought election to his old job this past November.

Although the state Legislature and governor's office are solidly in the hands of Republicans, the federal Department of Justice -- which also has a role in approving redistricting maps because of voting rights laws -- is in the hands of Democrats.

"I will be very surprised if we come up with maps that are going to be agreeable to everybody without the courts intervening," said Fran Millar, who has represented Dunwoody and north DeKalb in the Georgia House since 1998 and won election to the state Senate this year.

Georgia is one of eight states that will gain at least one congressional seat based on the new census figures.