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DeKalb County, GA — Heads up voters, the districts for the Georgia General Assembly and the state’s Congressional districts have changed for the 2024 elections, which includes some significant changes to House and Senate seats in DeKalb County.

Be sure to check your voter registration to see what district you are in. To check your voter registration, click here. Once logged in, click on the “My Districts & Elected Officials” tab in the menu at the top of the page.

Election Day for the primary elections is May 21. Early voting begins April 29 and ends on May 17. The last day to register to vote or change your address is April 22, and the deadline to request an absentee ballot is May 10.

A federal judge approved Georgia’s newly revised political maps for Congress and the state legislature in December, a win for Republicans who sought to preserve their partisan advantage while adding new majority-Black districts required by the court, according to WABE.

In some cases, the maps radically alter the constituency of districts in the Decatur area, meaning people who have had the same representative for years will find themselves in a new district with new representation.

District Court Judge Steve C. Jones ruled in October that the state’s 2021 maps illegally diluted Black voting strength and violated Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act, according to the Georgia Recorder.

The Legislature passed the new maps during a special session in December 2023. The governor signed the maps, and Jones decided they complied with his order.

Most of the state Senate and House districts in DeKalb County changed in some way during the special session. Here’s a look at how some of them changed:

DeKalb Senate Districts

Photos courtesy of the Georgia General Assembly.

To see a larger version of the 2023 map, click here.

In DeKalb County, Senate District 10 now represents Avondale Estates and parts of North Druid Hills, in addition to South DeKalb and parts of Henry County. Sen. Emanuel Jones currently represents this district and will face Republican candidate Furquan Stafford in November.

Senate District 40 remains largely unchanged. State Sen. Sally Harrell is the incumbent candidate, and David Lubin is running in the Democratic primary as well. Republican candidate Amelia Siamomua is running for the seat, too. She will face the winner of the Democratic primary in November. The district represents north DeKalb County, including Brookhaven, Chamblee, Doraville and Dunwoody.

Senate District 41 no longer includes Stone Mountain Village and picked up some of the North Druid Hills and Toco Hills area and areas south to Stonecrest. Sen. Kim Jackson is the incumbent candidate in District 41 and Tyion Fields is also running in the Democratic primary. Republican candidate Jeff Newlin will face the winner of the Democratic primary in November.

In DeKalb County, state Sen. Elena Parent shifted to Senate District 44, which also shifted from a majority-white district to a majority Black district. She previously represented District 42. Nadine Thomas is also running for this seat.

Senate District 44 includes all of Druid Hills and Decatur, but does not include Brookhaven and the Medlock area. The district also includes part of Clayton County.

“Completely new to the district is a good part of Clayton County, namely Morrow, Forest Park and Ellenwood,” Parent previously said. “The demographics of this new district are different, in that the Republicans decided to draw this district as a majority-Black Senate district.”

Stone Mountain Village and Tucker are now in Senate District 55, which was represented by Rep. Gloria Butler. The district also includes the unincorporated areas between Stone Mountain and Lithonia, as well as parts of Lithonia and Stonecrest.

Butler retired at the end of the 2024 session, leaving her seat open. Iris Hamilton, Osborn Murray, Randal Mangham, Robin Biro and Verdaillia Turner are running for the District 55 seat. Republican candidate Mary Williams Benefield will face one of the Democratic candidates in November.

DeKalb House Districts

Photos courtesy of the Georgia General Assembly.

To view a larger version of the 2023 map, click here.

In the state House, District 81 becomes District 101 and includes the unincorporated areas between I-85 and Tucker, Clarkston, and North Druid Hills. Rep. Scott Holcomb currently holds the seat. He will face Republican candidate Kendra Biegalski in November.

District 82 in DeKalb County, which represented Emory University, the North Druid Hills area, and Decatur, is now District 84. The district lost 80% of its constituents as it no longer includes Emory University and North Druid Hills. Rep. Mary Margaret Oliver is the incumbent candidate and faces Hunter Kemp in the Democratic primary.

District 84 now encompasses more of Decatur—including the northern half and Winnona Park—and extends to Stonecrest.

“It is changed from a majority white to a majority Black district. It starts at my house, which is at the top of the district, and goes south and southeastern,” Oliver previously said.

Rep. Karla Drenner (D – Avondale Estates) represents District 85. She picks up the Medlock area, which District 84 loses. Her new district includes the city of Avondale Estates and extends into South DeKalb. She loses the Midway, Peachcrest, Austin Drive, Columbia Drive, Snapfinger Elementary, Snapfinger Road and Canby Lane Elementary precincts. These areas are now part of District 84. Drenner is also running unopposed this year.

Districts 86 and 87 experienced some changes as well.

Rep. Omari Crawford (D – Decatur) represents District 89 rather than 84 under the new map. The new District 89 extends into Druid Hills, part of Decatur, and extends into the unincorporated areas that make up Greater Decatur. Crawford previously represented the city of Avondale Estates and parts of Decatur, including Winnona Park. Under the new District 89, Crawford does not represent Avondale Estates and now represents the Oakhurst area in Decatur. Crawford is running unopposed this year.

Reps. Becky Evans (D – Atlanta) and Saira Draper (D – Atlanta) were paired in District 90. They are in the same district and are running against each other in the Democratic primary.

Democrats have argued that Republicans targeted Democrats during the redistricting process.

“I’ve been elected three times in a majority Black district with over 65% Black [population],” Evans previously said. “Rep. Draper was elected in a majority Black district with 58% Black population. She’s been elected as a candidate of choice. Basically, they’re eliminating a candidate of choice by Black Democrats by combining these districts.”

She added that the maps are unnecessarily disruptive as the legislators have developed relationships and gotten to know their communities.

The new District 90 still encompasses the portion of Atlanta that is in DeKalb County, as well as about six precincts that are currently in District 89.

There were nine instances where House representatives were pitted against each other. No Senate districts were similarly paired. Among House Democrats, those matchups include Smyrna Reps. Teri Anulewicz and Doug Stoner, and Gwinnett County Reps. Sam Park, who is the Minority Caucus Whip, and Gregg Kennard. For Republicans, Rep. David Knight was paired with Rep. Beth Camp, according to the Georgia Recorder.

Stonecrest was previously represented under Districts 91 and 92, but District 92 was drawn out of DeKalb County and is now only in Rockdale County. District 91, held by Angela Moore, now represents Stonecrest. Dee Dawkins-Haigler and Marcus Akins are also running in the District 91 Democratic primary.

Districts 115 and 116 now extend into South DeKalb and represent parts of Henry County as well. Rep. Regina Lewis-Ward represents District 115 and is unopposed this year. Rep. El-Mahdi Holly is the incumbent Democratic candidate for District 116 and will face Republican candidate Reign Stevens in November.

All legislative candidates will be on the ballot on May 21, but only a few of the primaries in DeKalb County are contested. There may also be some other changes to the district that have not been noted, so be sure to check your voter registration.

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