State Representative Eric Gisler responded late Wednesday evening to Governor Brian Kemp’s decision to call state legislators back to Atlanta for a special session on June 17. The purpose of the proposed session is to redraw Georgia’s political lines to take advantage of the US Supreme Court’s recent gutting of the Voting Rights Act.
In Louisiana v. Callais, the US Supreme Court decided to allow gerrymandering along racial lines for the first time since 1965, essentially legalizing the practice unless it can be proven to be intentional. Since then, many Republican politicians across the South — including in states like Alabama, South Carolina and Tennessee — have called for their political maps to be immediately redrawn with this newfound power.
Here in Georgia, Republicans have been a bit more restrained. Kemp’s recent call for a special session would not change Georgia’s political maps for this election cycle, only for the 2028 election — a move which is still quite unusual. Kemp argues that the mid-decade redistricting is necessary because of the Callais decision.
Gisler rejected this argument, saying that Georgia’s political maps are unaffected by the Supreme Court’s decision.
“Georgia’s current maps have not been ruled unconstitutional,” Gisler said in his statement. “The Callais decision did not invalidate Georgia’s maps or require the legislature to redraw them…At this time, no court has ordered Georgia to redraw its districts.”
Gisler represents District 121 in Athens-Clarke and Oconee counties.
“Georgia can continue the cycle of endless partisan redistricting, or we can choose to draw districts that respect communities, county lines and voters,” Gisler’s statement continued. “I encourage every Georgian to contact your state representative and state senator and urge them to reject unnecessary partisan gerrymandering. Competitive elections and accountable government are not weaknesses in a democracy; they are the foundation of one.”
The special session also will address issues with a law passed two years ago requiring that QR codes be eliminated from Georgia’s election ballots by July 2026. However, the Legislature did not authorize any funds to review and select alternative voting technologies or to replace the voting machines in every precinct in the state, making implementation of the law impossible by the July 2026 deadline.
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