The district boundaries and current population of District 8 are going to change.  City Council is about to embark on its 2011 redistricting process, which means district boundaries and resident populations will shift as new boundaries are drawn to make sure the populations of each council district are balanced and representation on Council is fair.  Redistricting is conducted every ten years following the US Census results, which showed in 2010 that District 8 actually has more residents- 38,063 to be exact- than the average goal of 35,000 being that Atlanta has a total of 420,003 residents.  This means that the natural boundaries of the district, those to the south and east, will have to change in order to give and lose (for those districts that are too small) some residents to bordering districts, which include Districts 7, 9 and a small part of 3.

Federal and State Requirements/Guidelines:

Council must follow Federal and State requirements and guidelines when redrawing district lines.  As mentioned above, the goal is to even out the district populations so that each district has around 35,000 residents.  In addition, district lines must be contiguous and follow natural boundaries.  Council will also strive to keep current voting precincts whole and communities of interest intact.  A Federal requirement that must be adhered to is that new boundaries must not in any way improperly dilute the minority vote.  This requirement stems from the 1965 Voting Rights Act and further means that the City must gain preclearance of the final, proposed district lines from the US Department of Justice prior to them being adopted and becoming effective.

 Citizen Input and Participation: One of the most crucial components of redistricting is hearing from residents since they know their neighborhoods and their representative needs best.  During the year-long redistricting process (the final district lines must be ready by August 25th in order for candidates to meet the 2013 General Election residency requirements) multiple proposals and maps will be created and shared with the public for review and comment.  The maps will be made available on-line and in the City Hall atrium.  In addition there will be set public hearings which you will receive notice of through the NPUs as well as the City’s website and my office.  I want to make sure that I hear directly from my constituents regarding the upcoming proposals, which is why I’ve gone ahead and included the current Redistricting Calendar

For updates go to the City of Atlanta website's Redistricting Page.