Gov. Brian Kemp called a special session of the state Legislature beginning June 17 to deal with redistricting and election issues. Here’s what you need to know.
What’s a special session?
The General Assembly meets in regular session for up to 40 days each year. They have a broad scope — legislators can approve bills on a wide variety of subjects.
Special sessions are limited in scope. They can be called by the governor or by a vote of three-fifths of the House and Senate. The issues are limited to the topics listed by the governor or the General Assembly in calling the special session.
Such sessions are limited to 40 days unless extended by a three-fifths vote of each chamber and approved by the governor. Kemp called the last special session in 2023 to address redistricting to comply with a court order to draw an additional majority-Black congressional district.
What topics will be covered in this special session?
Kemp called the session for two reasons. The first is to redraw congressional and legislative boundaries for the 2028 election. The move is a response to last month’s U.S. Supreme Court ruling that weakens the Voting Rights Act, allowing states to redraw political maps without considering race.
The second purpose is to address a state law that bans Georgia from using QR codes to count ballots after July 1. To comply, Georgia would need to buy new voting machines. But lawmakers never approved money to do this. One likely solution is to extend the deadline to 2028.
Will this impact the 2026 midterms?
It’s unlikely.
Kemp’s proclamation calling the Legislature into a special session says the new political maps would take effect for the 2028 election cycle. Any redrawn lines would be in effect after the midterms.
For the QR code problem, most local election officials fear overhauling the state’s voting system months before the midterms would disrupt voting in November and confuse voters. It seems unlikely lawmakers would make a significant overhaul of how votes are counted before a July 28 special election to fill the remainder of the late U.S. Rep. David Scott’s term.
But it’s unclear what the solution to the self-imposed deadline would be. Lawmakers could push the deadline back. Late last year, the secretary of state’s office proposed another idea that uses computers to read the text printed on the ballots to count votes rather than the QR codes. The voting machines would still count ballots using QR codes on election night. Later, the state would use this optical character recognition technology to count ballots and comply with the state law barring the use of QR codes.
Why is the special session in June?
It’s complicated.
Calling lawmakers back to Atlanta before runoff elections in mid-June would have meant taking legislators off the campaign trail and into the Capitol. Waiting any longer than June would have meant leaving counties preparing for a July 28 special election without clear answers on how votes would be counted.
What’s the reaction?
Democrats are livid.
“If Republicans ever used their power to help Georgians, they wouldn’t have to waste time and money redrawing the maps every few years to keep their majorities,” said Senate Minority Leader Harold Jones II, D-Augusta.
Republicans are welcoming the opportunity to redraw district lines to maintain control and possibly widen their majorities.
“Let’s get it done,” said state Rep. Victor Anderson, R-Cornelia. “The Supreme Court has made a ruling that, in my opinion, is a correct ruling.”
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