Proposed Map: Mableton Split among Three State House Districts

A draft map of new state House districts shows Mableton split among three districts instead of two. 

The northeast part of Mableton, east of Floyd Road and north of Veterans Memorial Highway, would join a district that runs all the way to Buckhead. Overall, that district would change shape on all sides, but it would still include the home of incumbent Rep. Stacey Evans (D-Smyrna).

The draft map is a product of the Georgia Legislative and Congressional Reapportionment Office. Once every 10 years, Georgia state lawmakers must redraw district borders based on new U.S. Census numbers and population shifts. For the first time in decades, Republicans control Georgia's government during the redrawing process. The Georgia House and Senate committee members in charge of redistricting start hearings on the maps on Tuesday.

The northwest part of Mableton would remain in the district now held by Rep. David Wilkerson (D-Austell). And all the Mableton neighborhoods below Veterans Memorial Highway would remain in a district now held by Rep. Alisha Morgan (D-Austell). Morgan's district would continue to reach south and end at the county line encompassing the unincorporated areas of Austell, like the Six Flags Corridor.

On the Senate side, districts would hardly change at all. One small shift would move nearly all homes on both sides of Old Powder Springs Road in Marietta from the seat now held by Sen. Steve Thompson (D-Marietta) to the seat now held by Sen. Doug Stoner (D-Smyrna). However, most of Austell would still remain as Senate District 33, Thompson’s district. Most of Mableton would fall under District 38, which is served by Sen. Horacena Tate.

However, a small sliver of Austell in Douglas County would be included in Senate District 35.

The Legislature will also redraw U.S. House districts this summer. Georgia will get a 14th U.S. Congress member. Census numbers put that seat somewhere in the heavily-GOP counties just north of metro Atlanta.

That draft map may appear as early as this week.

In January 2012, the Legislature will take up city, county and board of education districts, as well as the state's utility regulators, the Public Service Commission.

All maps must eventually be approved by the federal government, to make sure they do not disenfranchise minority voters under the Voting Rights Act.