Buckhead Senators blast map vote

Buckhead Sens. Vincent Fort and Horacena Tate, both Democrats, have strongly criticized the GOP-drawn reapportionment maps approved by the House and Senate Thursday.

Voting along partisan lines, the  House voted 108-64 to approve new district lines for the 2012 elections, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution said. The Senate later followed to approve the districts. The reapportionment maps that passed each chamber will now cross the hall to the other chamber

Speaking as leaders of the Senate Democratic Caucus, Fort and Tate accused the GOP of polarizing voters along racial lines. While the redrawn maps would place much of Buckhead under Senate District 6, Fort and Tate will still represent portions of the community.

"Georgia Democrats voted in solidarity today against Republican-proposed reapportionment maps that would discriminate against the ability of Georgians to build multi-racial coalitions, reducing the number of white Democrats further isolates African Americans, Latinos and many other Georgia voters," a statement from the Legislature's Democratic leadership said.

Fort, whip for the Senate Democratic Caucus, said, "While race is a fact of life in our state, it should never be a weapon in our politics. Whether the target is white or black Latino or Asian, it is improper and unconstitutional to polarize voters using race."

Tate, Senate Democratic Reapportionment chair, said the purpose of the Republican-proposed map is to eliminate Democratic incumbents in favor of creating a Republican super majority.

According to the news release, Democrats worked to develop maps that would not be retrogressive, that would not pack districts, that did not pair incumbents unnecessarily and conformed to the one person one vote concept.

"The purpose of our maps was to demonstrate there are other better choices on the table and that the ability of minority voters to elect the candidate of their choice does not have to be sacrificed," said Tate.

Under the redrawn districts, Buckhead and Sandy Springs would not combined into their own separate Senate District, as some community leaders sought. But picking up about 75 percent of Buckhead.

Buckhead t would be among Democratic incumbents "paired" in the same district. Dobbs would be "paired" with District 44 incumbent Sheila Jones.

Republican Rep. Edward Lindsey's District 54 would shift further into Buckhead and out of Sandy Springs. 

The maps presented by the Republicans had several flaws:

• They unfairly and unconstitutionally target incumbents based on race;
• They fail to meet the requirements of the Voting Rights Act;
• They eliminate a number of effective minority crossover districts; and,
• They violate the constitution by using race as the predominant factor in drawing districts without a compelling justification.

Democrats offered substitute maps, which better reflected the obligations to the voters of Georgia. The maps took into account the Republican majority and Democrats asked for no additional seats.

"Democrats did not seek to increase our numbers in the General Assembly via redistricting, nor have they offered maps to diminish the GOP's control of the House," said Abrams.

Senate Democratic Reapportionment Chair Horacena Tate (D-Atlanta) said the clear purpose of the Republican-proposed map is to eliminate Democratic incumbents in favor of creating a Republican super majority.

Democrats spent countless hours working with members of their caucuses in developing a map that would not be retrogressive, that would not pack districts, did not pair incumbents unnecessarily and conformed to the one person one vote concept.

"The purpose of our maps was to demonstrate there are other better choices on the table and that the ability of minority voters to elect the candidate of their choice does not have to be sacrificed," said Tate.

Democrats were provided a first look at the entire state map, Friday, August 12 at noon. ###