ATLANTA, Ga. (Atlanta News First) — Gov. Brian Kemp on Wednesday called for a special legislative session to redraw Georgia’s political maps for 2028, and to address a voting issue for this November’s midterms before a critical summer deadline.

During the special session, lawmakers may redraw Georgia’s congressional maps for the 2028 elections, taking advantage of a recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling that essentially barred race from being a factor in the drawing of new congressional districts.

The session could possibly eliminate some majority-Black districts, which critics say would dilute the power of Black votes in the state.

PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Kemp: No redistricting for 2026, but Georgia maps to change before 2028

Kemp ordered the special session to convene beginning at 2 p.m. on Wednesday, June 17.

According to Kemp’s order, lawmakers will “...consider enacting, revising, repealing, or amending general law for the division of the State into appropriate districts from which members of the Georgia State Senate, the Georgia State House of Representatives, the United States House of Representatives to the United States Congress, or any other state office elected by district, in light of the United States Supreme Court decision in Louisiana v. Callais, 608 U.S. (Apr. 29, 2026), to take effect for the 2028 election cycle.”

Louisiana v. Callais is the recent Supreme Court ruling concerning racial gerrymandering, which gutted a section of the Voting Rights Act of 1965.

“I think it is wrong to artificially inject race into our politics,” said Georgia GOP Chairman Josh McKoon. “I am very pleased that the Supreme Court has erased this, you know, from our legal framework. And I look forward to state legislators being able to redistrict based on communities of interest.”

Democrats said any gerrymandering done outside of the typical ten year timeframe would be akin to Republicans cheating. Georgia has redrawn their political maps three times since 2021.

House Minority Leader Rep. Carolyn Hugley, D - Columbus, said GOP lawmakers are taking advantage of the U.S. Supreme Court decision to draw maps that will result in more favorable election results for their party.

“There is no urgency for us to draw maps in June for the 2028 elections and it simply means that Republicans want to rig these maps, they don’t want to hear from the public,” she said. “We would not allow the Georgia Bulldogs to cheat their opponents like what they’re trying to do to us.”

RELATED: Georgians respond to Supreme Court ruling on Voting Rights Act of 1965

The special session also will address a looming deadline set by the General Assembly to outlaw the current QR-code system of ballot tabulation.

On July 1, per a law passed by the General Assembly in 2024, the QR codes currently used to tabulate Georgia ballots become unlawful. The change reflected deep skepticism about the state’s election in 2020.

RELATED: State Elections Board says it does not have authority to pick new voting method

But in lieu of the soon-to-be illegal QR codes, lawmakers adjourned their session this year without picking a replacement method for tabulating votes. It meant there was no uniform way for counties to legally count their ballots ahead of the November midterm elections.

Read Gov. Kemp’s order below:

This is a developing story. Check back with Atlanta News First for updates.

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