All eyes on are on Richardson or state Reapportionment Committees this week. - GOP hasn't ruled out redistricting, but knows of political risk.

Is Georgia going to reapportion its 13 congressional seats this legislative session? If you read the ajc and this blog regularly coming into the session you would have thought so.

But reapportioning carries political risk. I got very upset about the matter in which Gov. Barnes' reapportioned; I hope the GOP will not be so unfair if it reapportions.

My resentment about the way the Democrats under Gov. Barnes did and handled the reapportionment in 2001 that resulted in our present 13 congressional districts is noted in the following posts:

The 11-5-04 post entitled "Republicans should learn lessons Democrats taught. -- If you don't believe an attempt at redistricting is coming, you must believe in the tooth fairy," in which I wrote:

"[The redistricting made me mad. It was as if we didn't realize that what goes around comes around. . . ."

"[V]oter anger at the obvious gerrymandering of Georgia's congressional districts was one of many factors that helped sweep Barnes out of office, and now I can understand how the Philitines consider it to be payback time."

In the second post, the 11-5-04 post entitled "Back to the drawing board. -- Redistricting, expect it," notes the redistricting is not risk free and also which districts would be most affected, providing in part:

"Pundits largely agree that the nakedly partisan 2001 reapportionment backfired on the Democrats; voter anger at the obvious gerrymandering of Georgia's congressional districts was one of many factors that helped sweep Barnes out of office, according to both Republicans and Democrats."

"[S]ome Georgia Republicans don't view a trip back to the map-drawing board as worth the PR risk."

"But . . . Republicans would greatly benefit from redrawing the 3rd, 11th and 12th districts, all of which have constituencies that lean Democratic, or are expected to do so in the next few years."
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This week all eyes are on the House Reapportionment Committee, or if not that, a statement from the chairman of such Committee, House Speaker Richardson.

Last week Richardson said a decision would be announced this week whether to undertake the redistricting.

Also last week, House Reapportionment chairman Bobby Franklin gathered his committee for the first time last week. He indicated that he had no idea whether they'd meet again. But he vowed that Republicans would do a careful job if they decide to tackle the map.
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Kristen Wyatt of the AP also provides some background and the current status in the following 2-7-05 article in The Macon Telegraph (excerpts):

Georgia Republicans have long railed against the state's congressional map, a splotchy collection of 13 districts gerrymandered to hurt the GOP.

Democrats drew up the map when they were still running state government four years ago, and Republicans always vowed they'd redraw the districts if they got a chance.

This year, with both chambers of the Legislature firmly in Republican control, they finally have the chance. But they're finding the redistricting process is fraught with political peril.

Most voters don't pay too much attention to the congressional lines, but to politicians there's nothing more compelling than a fight over that map. Usually the map is redrawn once a decade, after a census. If Republicans want to redraw the lines now, they'll see resistance.

"A lot of people are talking about it," said Sen. Chip Rogers, a Republican who leads the Senate Reapportionment Committee. Rogers and his colleague on the House side, Rep. Bobby Franklin, insist they have no idea whether redistricting will come up this year.

However, Republican leaders have been hinting all year that redistricting is on their minds.

The GOP's motivation is clear. Some of the districts meander through a dozen or more counties, with bizarre shapes meant to carefully pick up certain voters.

Democrats openly said the lines were drawn to boost the number of Democrats sent to Congress, and they did. In 2000, only three of the state's 11 seats were held by Democrats. Now, Democrats hold six of Georgia's 13 seats. (The state gained two more congressional seats following the 2000 census.)

GOP leaders have long said the map is wrong and should be fixed to make districts more compact. As a bonus, the Republicans might even pick up a seat or two in Congress.

"If you draw the congressional maps fairly, we'll automatically pick up seats," said U.S. Rep. Lynn Westmoreland, who comes from a splattered district that runs from Rockdale County to the outskirts of Columbus.

If Republicans try to redraw the map, they'll get a fight from Democrats. The minority party will argue that a Republican lawsuit to try to throw the maps out failed - a federal judge ruled the map was OK - and that any attempt to redistrict will be a waste of state resources for political purposes.

Legislators also would open themselves to intense scrutiny from current members of Congress, who send packs of staffers to watch over each redistricting process in hopes of getting an easier-to-win district.

Incumbent congressmen would be understandably leery of changing a district they've already proven they can win.

"There's a case against it - why expend the political energy to change maps the judges didn't rule were unconstitutional?" Rogers said.

So far, Republican leaders have only this to say about the chances of redistricting: stay tuned.
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Will the GOP move forward with reapportionment? This one is hard to call. Earlier this year most assumed it would; in fact, this was considered by some to be the first issue tackled by the GOP based on the deep-seated resentment about the way the process was handled in 2001.

But other issues -- including social issues -- have taken priority, and I think Speaker Richardson might just conclude that his plate is too full this year to tackle this issue. I think the odds presently are less than 50-50 that the GOP moves forward.

Stay tuned. We should know this week.