[mountainpass]

Link
At the Gold Dome.

Lawmakers expect North Georgia to gain representatives at the state and national level when the Legislature redraws political district lines based on U.S. census data in 2011.

In general, the legislators expect the state districts to reflect population trends, with South Georgia losing a few representatives and North Georgia gaining. Census records show that North Georgia's population rose from 2000 to 2009, which experts attribute to sprawl from suburban Atlanta and couples retiring to the mountains.

At the Capitol.

Charlie Harper, editor of the Peach Pundit political blog, is looking for a compromise.
"Each of the districts are going to give up a piece of something," Harper said.
He said the proposed 9th District makes sense because the new district would be centered around Gainesville, the hometown of Gov.-elect Nathan Deal and Lt. Gov. Casey Cagle. He said a Northeast or North-Central district makes sense not only because of the powerful leaders who hail from the region but it's "the easiest place to draw a district where an incumbent doesn't already live."

 

[mountainpass]

http://2010.census.gov/news/press-kits/ ... pport.html

 

[mountainpass]

Georgia will add one House Congressional Seat.

 

[bdee]

On a national level, if folks are leaving from blue states and heading for red states, do they suddenly become conservative voters?

 

[mountainpass]

On a national level, if folks are leaving from blue states and heading for red states, do they suddenly become conservative voters?

GA grew 18% since 2000. Based on the recent election I'm guessing they did. I bet once a blue voter is exposed to the logic of a red neighbor they see the light.

 

[bdee]

If I remember correctly the congressional split here was 10-5 republican. I imagine they will try to make it 11-5. They will have to create safe seats that will be located in predominantly black neighborhoods to comply with the Voting Rights Act.

I wonder what the long-term political implications in the state will be.

 

[mountainpass]

If I remember correctly the congressional split here was 10-5 republican. They will have to create safe seats that will be located in predominantly black neighborhoods to comply with the Voting Rights Act.

We just picked up our 14th. It will go to North Georgia. The VRA will not be an issue up here.

 

[RecoveringYankee]

We just picked up our 14th. It will go to North Georgia. The VRA will not be an issue up here.

Unfortunately, the VRA always seems to be an issue. All the lines are going to be redrawn to some extent to fit in a new district.

 

[RecoveringYankee]

Map of the changes nationally.

http://2010.census.gov/news/pdf/apport2010_map1.pdf

 

[mountainpass]

One other thing we picked up an Electoral College Vote.

And if that's not enough NJ lost one and NY lost 2.

 

[mountainpass]

The county numbers were released today at 2:00.
http://www.ajc.com/news/georgia-politic ... 76200.html

Strong growth in north Cobb, Gwinnett, Cherokee, Forsyth and other counties north of Atlanta means those areas will gain not only a congressional seat but as many as five or six new seats in the General Assembly. Conversely, vast swaths of southern Georgia, which have stagnated or even lost population, will kiss legislative seats goodbye.

For the first time in Georgia’s modern political history, Republicans hold virtually all the redistricting cards. They dominate both houses of the Legislature and hold the governor’s mansion and the attorney general’s office.

 

[SYN ACK]

On a national level, if folks are leaving from blue states and heading for red states, do they suddenly become conservative voters?

GA grew 18% since 2000. Based on the recent election I'm guessing they did. I bet once a blue voter is exposed to the logic of a red neighbor they see the light.

That's probably part of it, but my thought was that it was just the red northerners stuck in blue states migrating to somewhere more comfortable, politically.

 

[RecoveringYankee]

That's probably part of it, but my thought was that it was just the red northerners stuck in blue states migrating to somewhere more comfortable, politically.

Somebody call my name?

Not just politically. The culture, the atmosphere, the attitude, the level of freedom. It's all better down here.

 

[moga]

In general, the legislators expect the state districts to reflect population trends, with South Georgia losing a few representatives and North Georgia gaining. Census records show that North Georgia's population rose from 2000 to 2009, which experts attribute to sprawl from suburban Atlanta and couples retiring to the mountains.

By Jeffry Scott

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
7:36 p.m. Thursday, March 17, 2011

The growth of the Hispanic population in metro Atlanta nearly doubled since the 2000 census, outpacing the huge Hispanic population surge statewide, despite the slump in the housing industry that employed many Hispanics.

In a core nine-county metro area, the Hispanic population grew from 247,477 in the 2000 census, to 477,891, a jump of over 93 percent.
.
.
.
They also said the lack of a hard count and only an estimate (approximately 820,000 statewide) from the U.S. Census Bureau during the peak of the housing boom could mean thousands of Hispanics, many of them illegal immigrants, could have come and gone from the state and metro area between 2000 and 2010.

http://www.ajc.com/news/hispanic-popula ... tArticle=y

 

[mountainpass]

Forsyth County was the fastest-growing county in the state, showing a 78.4 percent increase and inching it within a few thousand people of overtaking Hall as the largest North Georgia county outside of metro Atlanta.

"I had predicted that in five years Forsyth County might be ahead of us," Norton said. "It might be tomorrow,"

Other North Georgia counties showing large gains were Cherokee at 51 percent, Barrow at 50.3 percent, Jackson at 45.4 percent, Lumpkin at 42.8 percent, Dawson at 39.5 percent and White at 36 percent.

http://www.gainesvilletimes.com/section ... cle/47665/

 

[livesounder]

That's probably part of it, but my thought was that it was just the red northerners stuck in blue states migrating to somewhere more comfortable, politically.

Somebody call my name?

Not just politically. The culture, the atmosphere, the attitude, the level of freedom. It's all better down here.

:ditto:

 

[Phil1979]

That's probably part of it, but my thought was that it was just the red northerners stuck in blue states migrating to somewhere more comfortable, politically.

Somebody call my name?

Not just politically. The culture, the atmosphere, the attitude, the level of freedom. It's all better down here.

Yep, people down here do seem to be more kind, friendly, and neighborly. Must have something to do with the Bible Belt.

 

[livesounder]

Yep, people down here do seem to be more kind, friendly, and neighborly. Must have something to do with the Bible Belt.

I doubt that conclusion.

A lot.

 

[IrishTiger]

Someone please just tell me that John Lewis will just get redistricted right on out of office!!!!!

 

[bdee]

We gained a seat, so when they redistrict, his seat will become even safer. So will Hank Johnson's seat. Having John Lewis covers the VRA provision.