Q: After the redistricting maps were finalized last year by the state Legislature, both Gov. Nathan Deal and other leaders stated they would revisit these maps in the 2012 legislative session. The intent was to address issues that had been raised, including the "breaking up" of Hall County. Now that the Justice Department has approved these maps, can the Legislature revisit this issue, and will they revisit it? If so, how will this process work, and is there time to complete new maps and gain approval before the election?
-- P.N. Mercer, Hoschton
A: The Legislature can redraw maps at any time, Charles S. Bullock, a political science professor at the University of Georgia, told Q&A on the News in an email. "We saw that in 2005, when the General Assembly redrew the congressional maps." He said that minor changes are often made to a part of a map, but those changes would have to be adopted by both chambers and approved by the Department of Justice or the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. "Minor changes should be expeditiously cleared by DOJ so that changes could be finalized in time to use for this summer's primary," he said. "I would be very surprised if DOJ had problems with a map change that reduced the number of legislative districts in Hall County, unless that set off a succession of changes that extended into areas with higher African-American concentrations."
Andy Johnston wrote this column. Do you have a question about the news? We’ll try to get the answer. Call 404-222-2002 or email q&a@ajc.com (include name, phone and city).
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