MACON, Ga. — The Georgia Senate approved a map of their own newly drawn-out districts after a 34-21 vote down party lines.
Tuesday marked Day 5 of the special legislative session for the once-in-a-decade redistricting process. The idea is to make districts roughly the same size based on population after the 2020 census.
Republicans, the party controlling the General Assembly, can redraw the district to keep control. Several Democrats voted against the map, including state Senator David Lucas.
Lucas took the Senate floor Tuesday, calling out Republicans, saying they unfairly re-drew the area he represents.
"Listen, reapportionment is like sausage-making. The other part is about the vegetable-making. I want some collard greens, some corn, and some Vidalia onions, and you want to bring me rutabaga and watermelons," said Lucas.
Sen. Lucas claims the Republican majority is drawing Black voters out of his district, while white voters are being pushed in.
"When I look at my district, I see one of the largest Black precincts taken out of my districts, one right next to my home district. Yet, I need 29,000 people," said Lucas.
Legislators have to expand Lucas' Senate district because it lost the second most amount of people compared to other Senate districts.
Now, the district needs to pick up more than 29,000 people to meet the 191,284 needed for each state Senate district.
The Senate approved the new map Tuesday. It moves Lucas' district out of Jones County and part of Bibb and covers Johnson County, which historically sways Republican and has a white majority.
"We got a problem. This map does not work out that problem," said Lucas.
University of Georgia political science professor, Charles Bullock, says the new drawing of Lucas' district hasn't changed much from what it is now based on demographics.
"His district is really much the same, both in terms of its total population and its voting age population of Blacks, so right about 57% total Black population and 18 years or older -- 55% Black," Bullock said.
If so, that means the new drawing wouldn't violate Section II of the Voting Rights Act, which deals with keeping fair demographic proportions. Based on the new maps, minorities would still be the majority in Lucas' district.
Lucas maintains the drawings are unfair. "We're going to be in court about it," he said.
The newly-drawn Georgia Senate maps go to a final vote in the state House Wednesday.