Georgia General Assembly must honor the decision of the people of Gwinnett
Joint Press Release from the League of Women Voters of Gwinnett
and League of Women Voters of Georgia
(February 3, 2022) FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - LWV of Gwinnett and LWV of Georgia calls upon the Georgia General Assembly to honor the decision of the people of Gwinnett. HB 873, sponsored by Rep. Sam Park and several other Gwinnett house members, was moved from Intergovernmental Affairs committee to the Government Affairs committee for the purpose of exchanging locally approved legislative map to newly drawn, unvetted redistricting map drawn by Rep. Bonnie Rich.
“HB 873, as originally submitted, was crafted with care and concern after several public advisory meetings and received unanimous approval by the Gwinnett County Board of Commissioners.” Stated Diane Fisher, President of LWV Gwinnett. “Our members were engaged in these discussions along with every Gwinnetian who choose to make their voices heard.”
“The Georgia House of Representatives is choosing to disrespect and disregard the wishes of Gwinnetians, going against their own preference for local control. More concerning, Gwinnett and these other communities like Athens-Clarke County, which have been singled out for legislative shenanigans, have seen major growth in their non-white population and project to continue to grow for the next decade.” Added Julie Bolen, LWV of Georgia board member & redistricting chair.
“Gwinnett voters have a right to choose their own elected officials and have done so through a community-led collaborative process. The Georgia House is specifically ignoring the decision of the people.” Continued Stephanie Wright, board member of LWV Gwinnett. “We respectfully request that the Georgia House of Representatives respect our community’s request for fair districts.”
“This legislative sleight of hand conducted this morning in the Government Affairs committee further undermines our democracy and voters' trust in Government. We call upon the Georgia House to reinstate the maps back to the original proposal in HB 873 which have been crafted and approved by and for the people,” concluded Julie Bolen.
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