Gov. Nathan Deal on Aug. 24 signed off on Georgia’s redistricting maps and, contingent of approval by the U.S. Dept. of Justice, Coweta County will see some changes in the districts for the House of Representatives, with a portion of east Coweta going to Dist. 72 Rep. Matt Ramsey and a small part of Peachtree City going to Dist. 71 Rep. Billy Horne.
Perhaps the most significant difference in the re-drawn map to east Coweta residents is the change to the boundaries of districts 71 and 72. Horne’s Dist. 71 seat will still cover much of east Coweta but will now include a small portion of Peachtree City in Fayette County.
The other change pertains to the Dist. 72 seat held by Matt Ramsey. Dist. 72 under the new map has been extended beyond the confines of Fayette County and now includes a portion of east Coweta that encompasses Senoia and Haralson.
And along with Dist. 70 Rep. Lynn Smith in north Coweta there will be a new District 132 that will include portions of southwest Coweta, north Meriwether County and north Troup County.
Both Congressman Lynn Westmoreland and state Sen. Mitch Seabaugh retain all of Coweta County.
“Georgians can be proud of what their legislators produced in these new maps,” Deal said after the signing. “After all the shenanigans we saw 10 years ago with multimember districts and outrageous gerrymandering, we have upheld our vow to keep communities together. House and Senate leaders held hearings across the state and worked individually with members of both parties. Both bodies produced maps that obey federal laws and honor the one-person-one-vote principle. The maps also pass the ‘optics test,’ meaning that a casual viewer could look at the districts and tell they make sense. It’s a benefit to our state and a benefit to our taxpayers that we have accomplished this important part of the special session so quickly. I’m proud to sign my name to these maps which will shape our General Assembly for the next decade.”
The next step in the process is to gain U.S. Dept. of Justice for the new maps.
