Implications Of U.S. Supreme Court Decision For Oconee County House Redistricting Unclear, Representatives Say

While the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to strike down a section of the 1965 Voting Rights Act makes it easier for Georgia to revisit redistricting in the 2014 session, Oconee County’s two representatives to the Georgia House of Representative say they are unsure the General Assembly will take up the issue.

If it does, however, they think their plan to bring all of Oconee County back into a single district stands a good chance of being approved.

“The implications of the Supreme Court decision are still being analyzed at the state level,” Rep. Chuck Williams told me when I spoke with him by telephone on Aug. 1. Williams represents the 119th House District, which includes all of Oconee County except three precincts.

Williams said he does not believe the Supreme Court decision gives the state “a green light to redistrict willy-nilly.” But the striking down of the need for preclearance may “eliminate one hurdle” to the legislature taking up redistricting, he said.

For more on this story, with links back to maps of the proposed new districts, go to Oconee County Observations.