Washington, D.C. – Today, Eric H. Holder, Jr., 82nd Attorney General of the United States and Chairman of the National Democratic Redistricting Committee, released the below statement following the Georgia General Assembly’s passage of state legislative maps:

“Elected officials have a solemn responsibility to act in the best interest of the people they swore to represent. Republicans in the General Assembly have rushed state legislative maps through a closed-off, opaque redistricting process and failed in their duty to lead and serve Georgians. Throughout this sham redistricting process, these legislators refused to take into account the overwhelming bipartisan public opposition to their drafts. It is clear that these gerrymandered maps were created with one goal in mind—protect Republican political power without regard to fairness or the will of the voter.

“Georgians deserve to vote on a map that incorporates the 2020 Census data, accounts for the state’s significant growth over the past decade, and accurately reflects the state’s diversity. Rather than heed the will of the people, these self-interested politicians have drawn politically-motivated maps that will prevent voters from choosing their candidate of choice and will remove competitive seats. This redistricting plan is a clear message that Republican political careers are more precious than the needs of the people.

“Truly fair redistricting is absolutely impossible without active public engagement and a willingness to lend an open ear to the voice of the people. Georgia’s legislative leadership must step up and make space for accessible and meaningful public input during the congressional map-drawing process. Any less would be a disservice to Georgians, who deserve a map that returns power to the people, not the politicians.”

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