Governor Perdue Signs Redistricting Measures

Governor Perdue Signs Redistricting Measures

Creates Task Force to Study Independent Redistricting Commission

ATLANTA – Today Governor Sonny Perdue signed Senate Bill 386 and House Bill 1137, legislative redistricting measures in the state House of Representatives and state Senate.  HB1137 makes minor changes to eight state House districts.  SB386 separates Clarke County into two senatorial districts while consolidating Madison County into one.  At the same time, Governor Perdue signed an Executive Order creating an Independent Redistricting Task Force.  The task force will study and make recommendations on ways an independent redistricting commission can help to ensure balanced, fairly drawn districts and improve public faith in the elective process.

“Redistricting has always been a prerogative of the legislature, and I have intentionally tried to remain disengaged from the process,” said Governor Sonny Perdue.  “I'm signing these bills because they appear to fall within the principles of redistricting.  At the same time, I recognize that redistricting will always be disputed, and so I'm exploring the viability of taking politics out of redistricting by studying the use of an Independent Redistricting Task Force.”

With Governor Perdue's signature, SB386 and HB1137 now go to the U.S. Department of Justice for review before final implementation.  Members of the Independent Redistricting Task Force will be appointed at a later date. Governor Perdue will direct the task force to issue a final report by December 31, 2006. 

Text of the Executive Order is provided below. 

Executive Order

WHEREAS:                The states must redistrict their legislatures and congressional delegations in the year following the release of the results of the United States decennial census; and

WHEREAS:                Too often, this process of redistricting has been performed with the goal of furthering partisan interests and the protection of incumbents; and

WHEREAS:                The current redistricting process has resulted in the dissatisfaction of citizens by producing results that divide communities of interest and create confusion among citizens regarding their legislative districts and their representatives; and

WHEREAS:                Some states use independent commissions to perform the legislative and congressional redistricting process or to recommend redistricting plans to their legislatures so as to minimize such problems and to increase public confidence in the process; and

WHEREAS:                There is a need for the creation of an independent task force to consider the creation of an independent, redistricting commission for the purpose of legislative and congressional redistricting.

NOW, THEREFORE, PURSUANT TO THE AUTHORITY VESTED IN ME AS GOVERNOR OF THE STATE OF GEORGIA , IT IS HEREBY

ORDERED:                That there is created an Independent Redistricting Task Force for the State of Georgia to study and make recommendations regarding ways in which an independent redistricting commission may help to ensure balanced, fairly drawn districts and to improve public faith in the elective process. 

IT IS FURTHER

ORDERED:                That upon their selection and appointment, members of the Independent Redistricting Task Force shall study and make recommendations on the matters set forth herein and issue a final report to the Governor by December 31, 2006.

This first day of March, 2006.

(Signed: Sonny Perdue)

GOVERNOR

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