Gov. Nathan Deal announced Wednesday he signed the state's new congressional map, which lawmakers redrew last month during a special session.
The new map increases to 14 the number of congressional districts in Georgia, reflecting the state's population growth in the 2010 census. It also could boost the state GOP margin in the U.S. House to 10-4, up from the current 8-5 advantage. That's because both it and new maps drawn for the 180 state House districts and 56 state Senate districts reflect Georgia's Republican majority, which controlled the map-making process.
Deal said in a statement he will work "in the coming weeks" with state Attorney General Sam Olens and legislative leaders to decide how to submit the maps for federal approval. The deadline for submission is Oct. 1. The Voting Rights Act requires Georgia and eight other states to get approval from the U.S. Justice Department or federal courts for all changes to voting and election laws.
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