We need to remember recent history –ten years ago- when the Democrats and Roy Barnes were driving the process. Gerrymandering was the order of the day………. Oconee Voters need an Oconee Advocate in Atlanta. We do not need to go back to the Democrat Gerrymandering of the past. Voters should keep that in mind in the July 19 State House 113 Runoff Election.

AVOC

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July 5, 2011

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Democrats complaining about reapportionment should look back 10 Years

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By Wendell Dawson, Editor, AVOC, Inc

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Every 10 years, our representative government must undergo reapportionment based on the 10 year census.   Georgia will gain a 14^th Congressional District this year.   Population growth has been the greatest in north-central Georgia.   Areas standing to lose strength are in South Georgia.

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We need to remember recent history –ten years ago- when the Democrats and Roy Barnes were driving the process.   Gerrymandering was the order of the day.   The districts, congressional, state senate and state house were snake-like and so outrageous that the Federal Courts threw them out.   That outrage helped defeat Roy Barnes and lost the Democrat majority in the General Assembly.

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2-11-04 Federal Judges Overturn GA Legislative Maps

    http://www.avoc.info/info/article.php?article=922&ENGINEsessID=03b0923c827c0e4b515bdd4fafdae6b8

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The current districts are more compact and should be considered in redistricting.   Concentrated minority districts complicate the process because they cannot be aggregated or diluted under the Federal Voting Rights Act.

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Current GA 10^th Congressional District

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As in the past, we are hearing comments about how Athens-Clarke is the heart of the area and needs to be center of districts.   The Athens-Clarke population is 116,714 but the average new congressional district should have 691,975 persons.   It will be hard for Athens-Clarke to be the center of a congressional district without involving Metro Atlanta.   Ten years ago, the Democrat John Barrow district was designed to extend from Athens to Savannah taking in Democrat areas.   The courts struck that one down.

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OPTIMUM NUMBERS FOR 2011 REAPPORTIONMENT OF GA DISTRICTS

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Athens-Clarke is large enough to dominate local house and senate districts if left intact.   It should not have districts that give it two Senators.   ACC votes differently from Area Counties and does not need its votes magnified by redistricting.

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   Northeast GA 2010 Census Numbers for Reapportionment

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There is some talk that newly – minted Republican Representative Doug McKillip of Athens will be given parts of Oconee County to protect him from retribution by Athens Democrats who elected him.   Many of us see McKillip as an opportunist who switched for more clout in Atlanta.   If his district is redrawn to include some of Oconee, Oconee needs a primary opponent for him next year.   Mr. McKillip is not representative of the Oconee County Populace.

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I can remember when Oconee was part of four districts in the 70’s.   A strip across north Oconee formed a bridge from Barrow to Athens for Representative John Russell.    The rest of Oconee was in a three representative district that reached from Oconee to Elbert and Hart counties.   I was encouraged to run for a seat but felt it would be comparable to running for Congress.   As an Oconee resident, I would have minimal knowledge and interest in road and other matters in the upper reaches of such a District.

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Oconee Voters need an Oconee Advocate in Atlanta.   We do not need to go back to the Democrat Gerrymandering of the past.    Voters should keep that in mind in the July 19 State House 113 Runoff Election.

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To compare the present district lines and with the Democrat lines of 2001, SEE:

REDISTRICTING GEORGIA NOW AND 10 YEARS AGO 7.6.11.pdfx