Senate · Introduced · 2025-2026 Regular Session

SR558: SR558 Apportionment for General Assembly; changes to apportionment and districts; provide

Last action January 13, 2026 · Senate Read and Referred

A Georgia Senate resolution would ask voters to amend the state constitution to limit redistricting of the General Assembly and Congress to the year after each U.S. census, except when a court orders changes.

In plain language

Currently the Georgia Constitution lets the General Assembly redraw legislative and congressional districts as needed, and lawmakers have sometimes redrawn maps outside the normal ten-year census cycle. This resolution proposes a constitutional amendment that would restrict when those changes can happen. Under the proposed amendment, the Senate, House, and congressional districts could only be changed in the first odd-numbered year after each U.S. decennial census (for example, 2031 after the 2030 census). After that initial redistricting, any further changes would only be allowed if a court orders them, and those changes would have to be limited to fixing the specific problems the court identified. Because this is a constitutional amendment, it must go before Georgia voters for ratification. The resolution sets the exact ballot question voters would see, asking whether to adopt this limit on when redistricting can occur.

What the bill does

Amends Article III, Section II, Paragraph II of the Georgia Constitution to restrict when legislative and congressional district lines can be redrawn.
Limits routine redistricting to the first odd-numbered year following each U.S. decennial census, rather than allowing changes at other times.
Allows additional map changes outside that window only when a court of competent jurisdiction orders them, and only to fix the specific issues the court identifies.
Sends the amendment to Georgia voters for ratification or rejection through a statewide ballot question.

Who it affects

Georgia voters, who would decide the amendment at the ballot box; state legislators, who draw and approve district maps; and candidates and residents in House, Senate, and congressional districts, whose boundaries could only be redrawn on a fixed schedule or by court order.

Why it matters

If adopted, this would prevent the General Assembly from redrawing legislative and congressional maps whenever it chooses, confining most redistricting to once per decade unless a court intervenes. That would change how and when district lines, and therefore representation, can shift between census cycles.

Key provisions

Section 1 revises Paragraph II of Article III, Section II of the Georgia Constitution to state that Senate, House, and congressional districts must be composed of contiguous territory.
Section 1 also limits changes to apportionment and districts to the first odd-numbered year after each U.S. decennial census.
Section 1 adds a new subparagraph (c) allowing further changes only to comply with a court order, and only to the extent needed to fix the deficiencies the court identified.
Section 2 sets the exact ballot language voters will see and specifies that a 'Yes' vote ratifies the amendment while a 'No' vote rejects it.

Status timeline

2026-01-13Senate Read and Referred (Senate)
2026-01-12Senate Hopper (Senate)

Topics

redistricting
voting and elections
constitutional amendment
legislative districts
apportionment