Athens redistricting gets Senate approval

ATLANTA - In their first vote of the year, state senators Thursday approved breaking Athens into two voting districts despite protests from Democrats who said GOP members are contradicting arguments they've made in the past against redrawing maps for political gain.

Sen. Ralph Hudgens, R-Comer, who sponsored the redistricting plan, said he has been trying to make changes to the metro-Athens political lines since the Legislature took up redistricting statewide.

"This has been a battle I've fought since 2001," he said.

The changes approved 34-18 on Thursday affect the 46th, 47th and 49th Senate districts, covering Clarke County and the surrounding area.

Mr. Hudgens said there was county-level support for making Madison County covered by a single senator instead of the two districts now represented, though he said he has not officially spoken with the full Athens commission about his proposal.

The decision to introduce a second Senate district into Clarke County drew the harshest response from Democrats, largely because they said the bill is designed to make it more difficult for Rep. Jane Kidd, D-Athens, to run for a Senate seat this year.

Under the plan, the 46th District drops Oglethorpe County, retains the western half of Clarke County and absorbs a portion of Walton County.

Sen. Brian Kemp, R-Athens, who currently holds the seat but is running for state agriculture commissioner this year, said he did not push for the changes but thought they would benefit Athens by adding a legislative member.

"I think it's going to give our area a lot more influence in the Senate, especially in the budget process," he said.

Ms. Kidd, who announced last year she is running for Mr. Kemp's seat, slammed the new maps in a speech to the House on Thursday.

"This is the kind of political gerrymandering that Gov. (Sonny) Perdue railed against when it was done by another administration," Ms. Kidd said. "If we set this precedent, we rob the people of their power."