--- title: HR 13. Racial minorities in legislative reapportionment and redistricting; protect - CA collection: bills id: 2026-special/hr13 cite_as: HR 13, 2026 Special Session (Ga.) canonical_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2026-special/hr13 md_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2026-special/hr13.md text_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2026-special/hr13/text source_url: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/74835 date: 2026-06-20 status: introduced corpus_version: bills-2026-09-13 license: Public record of the Georgia General Assembly, via LegiScan; see about.md publisher: Georgia Commons, an independent project of Georgia Civic Data. Not the State of Georgia. Not legal advice. up: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2026-special.md previous: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2026-special/hr12.md next: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2026-special/hr14.md index: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/index.md omitted: votes and history omitted_chars: 129 omitted_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2026-special/hr13.md?full=1 bill_number: HR 13 session: 2026 Special Session session_slug: 2026-special chamber: House bill_type: resolution status_date: 2026-06-17 last_action: House Second Readers sponsors: - Carolyn Hugley - Samuel Park - Tanya Miller - Saira Draper - Park Cannon - Kim Schofield text_version: Introduced has_text: true legiscan_url: https://legiscan.com/GA/bill/HR13/2026/X1 upstream_id: 2154077 summaries_model: claude-sonnet-5 topic_tags: - redistricting - voting rights - constitutional amendment - legislative reapportionment - racial minorities --- # HR 13. Racial minorities in legislative reapportionment and redistricting; protect - CA ## Text House Resolution 13EX By: Representatives Hugley of the 141st, Park of the 107th, Miller of the 62nd, Draper of the 90th, Cannon of the 58th, and others A RESOLUTION Proposing an amendment to the Constitution of the State of Georgia so as to protect racial minorities in legislative reapportionment and redistricting; to provide for the submission of this amendment for ratification or rejection; and for other purposes. BE IT RESOLVED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF GEORGIA: SECTION 1. Article III, Section II of the Constitution is amended by revising Paragraph II as follows: "Paragraph II. Apportionment of General Assembly. The General Assembly shall apportion the Senate and House districts. Such districts shall be composed of contiguous territory. The apportionment of the Senate and of the House of Representatives shall be changed by the General Assembly as necessary after each United States decennial census. Such districts, as well as any congressional districts and any other districts for the election of state officers, shall not be drawn with the intent or effect of denying or abridging the equal opportunity of racial minorities to participate in the political process or to diminish their ability to elect representatives of their choice." H. R. 13EX SECTION 2. The above proposed amendment to the Constitution shall be published and submitted as provided in Article X, Section I, Paragraph II of the Constitution. The ballot submitting the above proposed amendment shall have written or printed thereon the following: "( ) YES Shall the Constitution of Georgia be amended so as to prohibit ( ) NO reapportionment or redistricting plans that deny or abridge the equal opportunity of racial minorities to participate in the political process or to diminish their ability to elect representatives of their choice?" All persons desiring to vote in favor of ratifying the proposed amendment shall vote "Yes." All persons desiring to vote against ratifying the proposed amendment shall vote "No." If such amendment shall be ratified as provided in said Paragraph of the Constitution, it shall become a part of the Constitution of this state. H. R. 13EX ## Summaries written by Georgia Commons The following was written by claude-sonnet-5 from the text above and is not part of the resolution. Quote the text, not the summary. A proposed Georgia constitutional amendment would bar the General Assembly from drawing legislative, congressional, or other state election districts in ways that deny racial minorities an equal chance to participate in elections or elect candidates of their choice. ### Plain-language summary Georgia's constitution currently requires the General Assembly to redraw Senate and House districts after each U.S. Census, but it does not include an explicit protection for racial minorities in how those lines are drawn. This resolution proposes adding such a protection directly to the state constitution. The amendment would apply not just to state legislative districts but also to congressional districts and any other districts used to elect state officers. It would prohibit drawing those maps with either the intent or the effect of denying or reducing racial minorities' equal opportunity to take part in the political process or to elect representatives of their choosing. Because this is a constitutional amendment, it must be approved by Georgia voters in a statewide referendum before it takes effect, using a yes or no ballot question specified in the resolution. ### What it does - Adds new constitutional language barring state legislative district maps from being drawn to deny or abridge racial minorities' equal opportunity to participate in elections. - Extends the same protection to congressional districts and any other districts used to elect state officers, not just General Assembly seats. - Prohibits maps drawn with either the intent or the effect of diminishing racial minorities' ability to elect their preferred representatives. - Sends the proposed constitutional change to Georgia voters for ratification or rejection via a statewide ballot question. ### Who it affects Georgia voters generally, especially racial minority communities whose voting power could be affected by redistricting; the General Assembly, which draws legislative and congressional maps; and candidates for state and congressional office whose districts are shaped by these maps. ### Why it matters If ratified, this would put an explicit anti-discrimination standard for redistricting into Georgia's constitution itself, giving racial minority voters a state constitutional basis, separate from federal law, to challenge maps that reduce their voting influence or ability to elect chosen candidates. ### Key provisions - Section 1 amends Article III, Section II, Paragraph II of the Georgia Constitution to add language protecting racial minorities in redistricting. - The new language applies to Senate and House districts, congressional districts, and any other districts for electing state officers. - The protection covers both discriminatory intent and discriminatory effect in how district lines are drawn. - Section 2 requires the amendment to be submitted to voters for ratification, specifying the exact ballot question wording. - The amendment becomes part of the Georgia Constitution only if approved by voters in the referendum. ## Status - Status: Introduced (2026-06-17) - Last action: House Second Readers (2026-06-20) - Sponsors: Carolyn Hugley, Samuel Park, Tanya Miller, Saira Draper, Park Cannon, Kim Schofield - Official page: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/74835 > The history, votes, and amendments (129 characters) are at https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2026-special/hr13.md?full=1