Georgia House Republicans Torpedo Local Legislative Process to Reshape Gwinnett Districts

GOP’s Gwinnett “power grab” is yet “another example of Republicans trying to maintain control”

Today, Georgia Republicans continued their Gwinnett “power grab” by ramming a new county commission map through the House in a move that experts are calling “redistricting at its very worst.”

The House passed the new maps this afternoon, just days after Republican State Rep. Bonnie Rich unilaterally released the maps – completely bypassing the local legislative process, offering the public little time for meaningful input, and proceeding without majority support from Gwinnett legislators or commissioners.

Republicans’ new map splits two major Gwinnett County cities into multiple districts and dilutes the voting power of minority communities, including Gwinnett’s Black, Latino, and Asian populations. This GOP attempt at racial gerrymandering comes after historic elections in which voters in Gwinnett – the most diverse county in Georgia – elected Democrats to every seat on the county commission, including the first Black woman ever to chair the commission. It is part of a disturbing trend this legislative session in which Republican legislators are seeking to “significantly shift the power” of local governance in increasingly diversifying and Democratic-leaning areas.

“Republicans’ rushed and one-sided local redistricting sham proves what we all know: the GOP is terrified of Georgia voters,” said Rebecca Galanti, spokesperson for the Democratic Party of Georgia. “The Georgia GOP knows they can’t win on ideas, so they’re resorting to shameless power grabs to cement their own power at the expense of voters – especially voters of color. While Republicans attempt to continue their racial gerrymandering project across the state, Democrats will keep fighting for maps that reflect the will of the people.”