Legislators are knee-deep in getting public input on how to handle the redistricting process.
This summer, the Georgia Legislature will convene in a special session to redraw district lines based on the latest population figures from the U.S. Census. The changes will affect all Georgia House and Senate seats as well as the state’s congressional seats in the U.S. House of Representatives.
The closest public hearing for Fayette residents to attend is in Stockbridge on Tuesday, June 14 from 5-7 p.m. The meeting will take place at the Merle Manders Conference Center at 111 Davis Road. For directions, visit www.mmccevents.com, click on “contact us” and then “directions.”
State Rep. Matt Ramsey of Peachtree City, a Republican, will chair the subcommittee for House and Senate legislative districts.
It’s too early in the process to determine how Fayette will fare, because the map-drawing won’t start until after the entire slate of statewide public hearings, Ramsey said.
“We have to do our due diligence,” Ramsey said, noting that the U.S Department of Justice or a three-judge panel will determine if the new lines meet the requirements of the U.S. Voting Rights Act.
Fayette County is somewhat fractured when it comes to representation in the Georgia House. Beyond Ramsey, who represents a large chunk of central Fayette County including Peachtree City, Fayette is served by four other representatives who have much smaller geographic footprints here, including Republican John Yates of Griffin in south Fayette County, Democrat Virgil Fludd in northwest Fayette County, Democrat Roberta Abdul-Salaam in north Fayette County and Democrat Darryl Jordan in east Fayette County.
In the Senate, Ronnie Chance of Tyrone, a Republican, represents almost the entire county except for the northeast corner that is part of the district represented by Valencia Seay of Riverdale, a Democrat.
