Republicans hold a majority in the Georgia state House and Senate. Congress, your senators and representatives and ask them about the legislatureРІР‚в„ўs special session regarding redistricting. It truly is imperative that we all become watchdogs in this situation. We want to see the maps we want to have the ability to comment on the maps that will be presented, and we want to know the process available to us to present our own maps, whether that will be in a legislature or only in a court situation. Will we have the opportunity to approve or disagree with whatРІР‚в„ўs been drawn or will we be relegated to only testify about the criteria? Moreover, weРІР‚в„ўre not certain if districts have already been drawn, and if so, our next steps. The governor of Georgia has called a special session to start on Nov. | Source: Tamir Kalifa / Getty We must be watchdogs. Eddie Lucio Jr., D-Brownsville, looks at a map of state Senate districts in the Senate chamber on the first day of the 87th LegislatureРІР‚в„ўs third special session at the State Capitol on Septemin Austin, Texas.

What if you spent time, energy and money to get your favorite representative elected? Redistricting could take away that representative and youРІР‚в„ўd be left with one that you do not desire. Would you want to be forcibly removed from your own district that includes your community РІР‚вЂњ the one that you have nurtured, fought for, organized, and loved for a decade? It has happened. Do you want a district purposefully redrawn so that your representative can nostalgically have his former high school in his district even when he lives nowhere near that high school? It has happened. When politicians take control of drawing district lines, they are doing so in favor of their own interests, of their own agendas. LetРІР‚в„ўs remember, we elect politicians, they should work for usРІР‚В¦not the other way around. We must draw our own community lines to ensure that when resources are allocated, that they are fairly distributed toward our communities, our children, and ourР’В specific needs. If you ask me, taking that risk is far too great.

If we ignore the process that mandates where district boundaries are drawn, we run the risk of losing our voice, of being forgotten, of being overlooked and ignored at times when it is most crucial that we are not.

Mestrenova draw lines