Split Cities
As part of our analysis and look back over 20 years of redistricting in Georgia…
We discovered that an unprecedented number of Georgia cities are unnecessarily split into multiple districts (known as “cracked”) so that they don’t have a cohesive voice or ability to elect the candidates of their choice to represent them. Two-thirds of the cities that could be accommodated in one state House district are split into multiple districts.
We now have the data to show how seriously some of these cities have been cracked. Feel free to study and share or learn more in our Map Room.
The “Winners” of the Most Cracked Cities are Lawrenceville and Stonecrest, which are now cracked across SIX House districts although they could be drawn into a single district.
These half-dozen cities are cracked into five districts but could be represented by one to four districts.
Our analysis found 86 Georgia towns and cities of at least 10,000 people that are cracked into a greater number of House, Senate, or Congressional districts than required by their population, including 18 cities that are cracked across ALL THREE chambers--House, Senate, and Congress.
o 74 have cracked House districts
o 48 have cracked Senate districts
o 27 have cracked Congressional districts
o 18 have all 3 cracked!
These cities range in population from 10,200 – Doraville to 488,800 – Atlanta
Of all of the cities that are currently cracked, we can confidently state that the following changes happened as a result of the 2011 redistricting:
o House: Conyers, Dalton, Duluth, Lawrenceville, McDonough, Newnan, Rome, Statesboro, Sugar Hill, Tifton, Waycross
o Senate: Athens-Clarke County, Cartersville, Covington, Fayetteville, Forest Park, Grovetown, LaGrange, Lawrenceville, Lilburn, Smyrna, Snellville, Suwanee, Union City
o Congress: Smyrna.
Learn more at the FDGA Map Room.
Split Colleges
Further analysis also shows that Georgia’s college campuses are also “cracked,” diminishing the voice of those communities of interest.
Tiny Agnes Scott College, less than one city block in Decatur, has been split in two, like the other campuses shown here.
Learn more at the FDGA Map Room.
