It looks like Republicans believe they only have a shot at winning back one of the districts, and either they’re betting McBath is the one they can beat or Bourdeaux is more to their liking.

The map shows the 6th District, a GOP stronghold until McBath won there in 2018, adding Republicans by moving all of conservative Forsyth County within its boundaries and shedding Democrats by shifting more liberal north DeKalb County into the 4th District.

The district in its current state backed Democrat Joe Biden by 11 percentage points, but the addition of Forsyth — where Donald Trump won by more than 30 points — would have pushed the 6th District into Trump’s column with an edge of 6 points.

A more Republican 6th District is matched by a more Democratic 7th, which would now all fall within increasingly diverse Gwinnett County. That would be good news for Bourdeaux in a general election, although it will likely inspire a challenge from the left in a primary.

The map is just a proposal, and the state House will likely have suggestions of its own for how to divide Georgia into 14 congressional districts, all with approximately 765,000 residents.

The final product, whatever it is, will differ from the map Georgia currently operates under. The state’s population continues to shift from the rural areas that Republicans firmly control to cities and suburbs where Democrats have made gains in recent years.

It’s for that reason Democrats aren’t ready to concede in the 6th District.

State Sen. Elena Parent, a Democrat from Atlanta, said that “given how fast population trends are changing around metro Atlanta, this particular 6th might still be competitive.”

State Sen. Jen Jordan, a Democrat who represents Cobb County, also had those population trends in mind when she said the map could produce a gain for Republicans, but only in the short term.

“Just eyeballing it, it’s a tough district for Democrats,” Jordan said. “It’s pretty clear what they were trying to do. This may be a one-cycle or two-cycle win for Republicans, but they’re not going to be able to hold it for long.”

Even a fleeting victory could help Republicans regain the U.S. House, where Democrats currently hold 220 seats to 212 for the GOP with three vacancies.

Some U.S. reps could end up outside their districts

If the Senate’s new congressional map wins approval, it would leave at least two current U.S. House members from Georgia living in one district and representing another: Democrat Carolyn Bourdeaux of Suwanee and Andrew Clyde, who is commonly identified as a Republican from Athens, but it’s really Athens-adjacent Jackson County.

U.S. Rep. David Scott of Atlanta already lives in the 5th District but represents the 13th.

A little tweaking to the map could upset the home/work balance of two other House members, Republican Barry Loudermilk of Cassville and Democrat Lucy McBath of Marietta.

U.S. House members are not required to live in their territories, although it doesn’t make for great optics.

That’s why John Barrow’s terms in Congress resembled a traveling road show as the Democrat moved from Athens to Savannah and finally Augusta while Republicans kept redrawing his 12th Congressional District. Now that he’s out of office, he’s back in Athens.

When Jon Ossoff first ran for office in the 6th Congressional District in 2017, his residence outside its boundaries was among the issues that worked against the Democrat in a tight race that he lost to Republican Karen Handel.

So moving could be worth it.

U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, as a resident of Milton, kicked off her political career in the 6th Congressional District by launching a challenge against McBath. But then she decided she liked her odds in the 14th Congressional District after U.S. Rep. Tom Graves announced he was leaving Congress.

She now has a home in Rome.

So keep an eye on those real estate listings.

Election officials seek new timetable to go with new maps

Redistricting could lead to a change in schedules as well as maps.

Georgia Public Broadcasting first reported that election directors from across the state are asking the General Assembly to delay the state’s primary until June 28.

The primary is currently set for May 24.

The election directors wrote in a resolution that they want to push back the primary to build in time to accommodate changes created by redistricting.

The Georgia Association of Voter Registration and Elections Officials approved the resolution at its annual conference Aug. 30.

It’s not clear whether the election directors have found a sympathetic ear among the state’s top lawmakers.

Credit: HYOSUB SHIN / AJC

Credit: HYOSUB SHIN / AJC

Buckhead split gets a spot on special session agenda

The upcoming special session of the General Assembly is meant for redrawing Georgia’s congressional and legislative maps, but work will also begin on a plan to redraw Atlanta’s map by carving out a “Buckhead City.”

State Sen. Brandon Beach of Alpharetta, the sponsor of legislation to enable Buckhead’s exit from Atlanta, said state Senate Local Government Operation Committee Chair Lee Anderson has agreed to hold hearings on the matter.

Beach’s bill would allow Buckhead residents to vote in November 2022 on whether they want to split from the city. He said legislators will not vote on the measure during the special session.

Buckhead City proponents, who have focused on violent crime as a reason for the split from Atlanta, are also pushing for hearings in the state House.

They hope those hearings include a review of a recent feasibility study from Valdosta State University that showed a new Buckhead City would be financially sound.

A separate report commissioned by the Buckhead Coalition, which opposes a breakaway by the wealthy neighborhood, shows Atlanta would lose between $80 million and $116 million in annual net revenue if Buckhead incorporated. It predicted taxes could go up for Atlanta and Buckhead residents.

Roughly a dozen GOP state senators have backed Beach’s legislation, although none of them represent Atlanta or Buckhead.

Legislation involving cityhood and annexation typically requires the support of local representatives, but Beach said the cityhood bill would bypass that process by being drafted as a “general bill,” meaning it would not necessarily need support from the local delegation to move forward.

State Sen. Jen Jordan, a Democrat who represents the area, said she and others who oppose a split “are going to do whatever we can to make people focus on the issues and realize that if this gets out (of the Capitol), the damage that this is going to do to Atlanta and to Georgia is unfathomable.”

Beach said he has talked to Lt. Gov. Geoff Duncan, who serves as president of the Senate, about the proposal.

“He’s not really for this at this point,” Beach said, “but he is willing to allow it go forward with discussion.”

First responders to receive $1,000 bonuses

More than 80,000 Georgia first responders are in line for $1,000 bonuses.

“Our law enforcement officials and first responders answered the call of duty and bravely served on the front line of our fight against COVID-19, despite the unprecedented challenges thrown their way,” Gov. Brian Kemp said in announcing the payments. “We are taking yet another step in supporting our men and women in uniform and first responders by providing this well-deserved bonus.”

The money for the bonuses will come from up to $100 million in federal COVID-19 relief funds that congressional Democrats approved in March. Because Kemp has the legal authority to dole out the federal relief funds sent to the state — about $4.8 billion in total — the first responders won’t have to wait until the General Assembly meets next year to consider the expenditure.

The bonuses will go to police and sheriffs’ employees, EMTs, dispatchers, state troopers and guards, full-time firefighters and others.

Volunteer first responders — mostly firefighters — will be eligible for $300 stipends.

Kemp’s office said the money is aimed at helping first responders with expenses they may have incurred over the past year and a half during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Georgia House Speaker David Ralston first proposed bonuses for local police and sheriff’s deputies and jailers two months ago as part of a $75 million crime-fighting package.

Ralston, a Republican from Blue Ridge, said the bonuses were meant to show support for law enforcement.

“We know it’s never been harder to wear a badge,” he said. “Georgia stands firm behind those who answered the call to serve.”

Kemp, Ralston and other Republicans who face reelection next year have made fighting violent crime and backing law enforcement key parts of their campaign strategy, fueled by a rise in homicides in many parts of the state.

They’ve tried to keep the focus on Atlanta and direct criticism at the Democrats who lead the city. Authorities in Atlanta investigated 157 homicide cases in 2020 — the most in more than two decades. This year also got off to a bad start. As of June, homicides had increased in the city by more than 50%, and shootings were up 40% over the same time period in 2020.

But increases in gun violence are a problem in several parts of the state.

While Kemp, Ralston and their fellow Republicans stressed their support for law enforcement, Democrats point out that they backed it with money: There would be no bonuses without them.

“These bonuses are thanks exclusively to the president and Georgia Democrats, who passed the COVID-19 relief package without a single Georgia Republican vote,” said Rhyan Lake, spokeswoman for the Democratic Party of Georgia.

Fewer Georgians lack ID numbers used in requesting absentee ballots

Recent updates in registration records show fewer Georgia voters lack the identification needed to easily request absentee ballots than previously thought.

The number of voters who don’t have a driver’s license or state ID decreased from 272,000 to 154,000 after the Georgia secretary of state’s office recently added more ID numbers from the Department of Driver Services.

About 2% of registered voters lack an ID number.

An ID number is required for the easiest method of requesting an absentee ballot under Georgia’s new voting law, Senate Bill 202. Voters who don’t have a driver’s license or state ID number must provide a photocopy of another form of ID for absentee voting.

In all, about 7.5 million voters have an ID number linked to their registrations. Every Georgia voter is required to have some form of ID. For some, that means other types of identification, such as a U.S. passport, military ID or other documents.

An Atlanta Journal-Constitution review of the state’s voter registration and ID lists found that the 154,411 Georgians without ID numbers on file are disproportionately Black voters. Black voters make up 58% of those who lack ID linked to their registrations while accounting for 30% of the state’s registered voters.

Many voters who don’t have ID numbers on file also have never cast a ballot. About 93,000 of the registered voters without an ID number have no record of ever voting in Georgia, according to state election data.

The new ID requirements are already being applied in upcoming local elections. About 11,200 voters have requested absentee ballots so far for municipal elections, including the race for Atlanta mayor.

Biden nominates two for Atlanta-based federal court

President Joe Biden has nominated two women to fill open seats on the U.S. District Court in Northern Georgia: a criminal defense attorney and a lawyer who works for a nonprofit that seeks better conditions for prisoners.

Victoria Calvert would become the circuit’s second Black female district judge and the first former federal defender to serve in the role. She is currently a staff attorney in the district court’s Federal Defender Program, and before that she was an associate at Atlanta’s King & Spalding firm.

Sarah Geraghty is senior counsel of the Southern Center for Human Rights, an organization that has been involved in lawsuits regarding the treatment of prisoners in Georgia. Prior to that, she served as a staff attorney in an appellate defender’s office in New York.

Georgia U.S. Sens. Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock had forwarded both women’s names to Biden after receiving input from the Federal Nominations Advisory Commission, which the senators created to help review applicants for those jobs and others.

The U.S. Senate must confirm Calvert’s and Geraghty’s nominations.

Candidates, endorsements, etc.:

— State Rep. Renitta Shannon, D-Decatur, became the eighth candidate to launch a bid for lieutenant governor. Joining Shannon on the Democratic side are state Rep. Erick Allen of Smyrna; Kolbey Gardner, a party strategist; state Rep. Derrick Jackson of Tyrone; and Bryan Miller, grandson of former Gov. Zell Miller. Three Republicans are also running for the state’s No. 2 job: state Sen. Burt Jones of Jackson; state Senate President Pro Tem Butch Miller of Gainesville; and Jeanne Seaver, a party activist.