Republican lawmakers in Georgia passed a new U.S. House map for the state that largely preserves their electoral advantage after a federal judge tossed out the last electoral map in October.
The redistricting session came about after U.S. District Judge Steve Jones ruled that the prior Congressional map violates Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act, which states “No voting qualification or prerequisite to voting, or standard, practice, or procedure shall be imposed or applied by any State or political subdivision to deny or abridge the right of any citizen of the United States to vote on account of race or color.”
Judge Jones, an appointee of President Barack Obama, reached his determination after a group of plaintiffs argued that the prior map “dilutes” the weight of ballots cast by black voters across multiple Congressional districts. Judge Jones ruled that Georgia would have to…
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