Efforts to begin redrawing Georgia’s voting district maps through a special session of the General Assembly have been canceled.
The Republicans’ plan, which many feared would disenfranchise Black and brown voters, had already sparked multiple protests Wednesday at the Georgia State Capitol.
“Changes to Georgia’s maps should take place only when members of the General Assembly and citizens have been given ample opportunity to gather the facts, provide input, and engage in meaningful discussion,” House Speaker Jon Burns wrote in a letter to Gov. Brian Kemp. “For this reason, we will not be taking up congressional or legislative redistricting for the 2028 election cycle during this special session.”
Kemp, in a statement to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, said he believed Republicans should still move forward. Republicans also reportedly had concerns that redrawing maps could energize Democratic voters heading into the midterm elections and the governor’s race.
Georgia House Republicans held a press conference at the Capitol at 1:15 p.m. after House leaders announced that redistricting was off the table.
Senate President Larry Walker said Senate and House Republicans stood united on their decision to end the effort this session.
Lawmakers will still convene today’s special session but will focus on how Georgia counts votes.
This morning, U.S. Sen. Raphael Warnock joined a coalition of civil rights organizations, labor unions, faith leaders, and community advocates at the Capitol to oppose the special session on redistricting, an effort he says dilutes the power of Black and brown voters.
“Make no mistake about it, the Georgia state legislature is coming for the power of ordinary, everyday voters,” Warnock said.
Dozens of people gathered alongside Warnock inside the Capitol. The diverse crowd carried signs with a clear message: “free and fair elections,” “protect Black voters,” and “reject racist redistricting.”
Last month, Kemp issued a proclamation to convene a special session on June 17 to redraw Georgia’s political maps this year. Doing so would have allowed Kemp, whose final term ends next January, to prevent the maps from being blocked if a Democrat replaces him as governor.
The proposed maps wouldn’t take effect until the 2028 election cycle. Kemp’s move made Georgia the latest Republican-led state to announce plans to redraw its political maps ahead of the 2026 midterms in November.
Warnock also blasted Kemp for not calling a special session to address affordability concerns like healthcare costs, lack of affordable housing, and high gas prices.
“It seems to me if you’re going to call a special session, it should be to fight for the people you’re supposed to represent,” Warnock said.
At the south wing stairs of the Capitol, Georgia House and Senate Democrats dressed in blue and white suits had gathered for a joint press conference before the special session had been scheduled to convene. Party leaders encouraged residents to stand up against voter suppression and condemned Republican lawmakers for trying to exploit the U.S. Supreme Court’s April 29 decision that said that political maps drawn based on race are unconstitutional.
Along Auburn Avenue, another group, “The Pilgrimage for Voting Rights,” made its voice heard ahead of the special session. The group of about 100 people started at Big Bethel AME Church and planned to march to the Capitol.
“We are here to raise our collective voices for fair representations for voting rights and for a democracy that works for everybody,” Bishop Michael L. Mitchell, presiding prelate of the 6th Episcopal District of the African Methodist Episcopal Church, told Capital B Atlanta. “Georgia is watching, heaven is watching, and I dare to say today that history itself is watching.”
Many protestors said they are concerned that the balance of power between Republicans and Democrats in Congress and the collective political will of Black voters in the South is at stake.
Staff writer Chauncey Alcorn contributed to this report.
