Georgia Republicans are using gerrymandering to ‘unlawfully minimize’ Black voting power: ACLU

When Joe Biden lost Florida but won Georgia in 2020’s presidential election, it was obvious that the Peach State had become a swing state — and the victories of two Democrats, Jon Ossoff and the Rev. Raphael Warnock, in U.S. Senate runoffs in Georgia in early January 2021 offered additional proof. African-American voters have played a crucial role in the progress that Democrats have made in Georgia, and a lawsuit filed by the American Civil Liberties Union and others slams Georgia Republicans for using gerrymandering to undermine the Black vote in that state.

In a statement to Politics USA, the Georgia ACLU stressed that gerrymandering in Georgia is a way of “unlawfully minimizing the voting strength of Black Georgians.”

“The lawsuit charges that the newly drawn maps deny Black residents an equal opportunity to participate in the political process and elect candidates of choice, in violation of Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act of 1965,” the Georgia ACLU told Politics USA. “New political maps are drawn as part of a once-in-a-decade redistricting process triggered by Census data. They determine the allocation of political power, representation, and access to resources at every level of government across the country for the next ten years.”

In Georgia, Democratic activist Stacey Abrams — who narrowly lost to Gov. Brian Kemp in 2018 — has had a lot to say about voter suppression and partisan gerrymandering in her state. And Abrams is seeking a rematch with Kemp by seeking the Democratic nomination in Georgia’s 2022 gubernatorial race.

Politics USA’s Jason Easley views GOP gerrymandering of congressional redistricting in Georgia as a blatant attack on African-American voters.

“The Georgia maps are an extension of the White Republican minority in the state trying to hang on to power in the face of growing demographic change which is leading to a reshaping of Georgia politics,” Easley explains. “Georgia Republicans legally should have created six new Black-dominated districts due to the explosive growth in the state’s African-American population. Instead, the Republicans attempted to draw district lines to dilute the Black influence on elections.”

Easley continues, “Republicans are fighting a losing battle. Georgia’s demographic tide will eventually sweep them away. Republicans are making desperately illegal moves, which should be shot down in court.”