Democrats blast Kemp’s special session on Georgia maps, QR code voting deadline

Harold Jones raises a hand and speaks during a press conference while other Democrats stand behind him holding signs
Georgia Senate Minority Leader Harold Jones speaks while Georgia Democrats rally during a Crossover Day press conference advocating for their agenda on the critical legislative day on March 6, 2025. (Matthew Pearson/WABE)

ATLANTA — Democrats reacted angrily to Gov. Brian Kemp’s call Wednesday to rewrite electoral district lines after a U.S. Supreme Court ruling in April.

Kemp, a Republican, ordered a special legislative session for June 17 to redraw election maps after the high court ruled last month in Louisiana v. Callais that a new majority-Black legislative district in Louisiana was unconstitutional.

That raised questions about future legal interpretations of the landmark Voting Rights Act of 1965, which strengthened protections for Black and other minority voters by barring practices that diluted their votes.