The Fayette Citizen-News Page

Wednesday, September 24, 2003

State GOP teens launch walk-a-thon for redistricting awareness

Georgia’s Teenage Republicans participated in the Redistricting Walk-A-Thon this weekend to promote awareness of the ills of redistricting in Georgia and raise money for their for their future efforts.

The Walk-A-Thon allowed sponsors to donate money on a per-mile basis for Teenage Republicans who volunteer to walk across an entire Congressional district. ÊSponsors provided the TARS with a pledge of 25 cents per mile walked.

“We thought that, by walking across an entire Congressional district, weâd be able to raise a lot of money,” said Dallas White, Chairman of the Teenage Republicans. “After all, Congressional Districts should be pretty big.”

For the event, the Teenage Republicans chose the 13th Congressional District, which spans nine counties across metro Atlanta. One of the legs of the oddly shaped district travels through Griffin, in Spalding County. At one point, the district narrows to just five-hundredths of a mile, or about 264 feet before spreading out into a larger misshapen area.

Fatigue was never really a factor for the TARS. “Many of us had been training for the event by walking to the mailbox up to three times a week, so we were in pretty good condition,” said White. Ê”I think the drive down and back was the most grueling part of the day.”

The ten participants finished the walk in just over 52 seconds, raising a total of just 13 cents.

But seriously, there are hundreds of instances across the state when Congressional Districts, as drawn by the Democrats in 2001, narrow to less than half a mile. The narrowest point is in Moultrie. There, the First District narrows to just .0032 miles, or just 17 feet.

The following are just some of the examples of this phenomenon across Georgia:

  • 1st District — .034 miles, near Largo Drive, Savannah
  • 5th — .09 miles, Forest Lake Dr. near Mt. Paran Rd/Powers Ferry.
  • 6th — .09 miles (about 500 feet wide), where Chattahoochee River crosses I-75 (narrow gap connecting Vinings portion of 6th with Fulton).
  • 8th — .03 miles in Bibb County (near Mewdowbrook Drive).
  • 11th — .04 miles, point where it meets 8th at Coweta/Troup line off Hwy. 100.
  • 11th — .3 miles, Marietta, off N. Marietta Parkway.
  • 12th — .04 miles, Berckman Road/Raes Creek in Augusta.
  • 13th — Mixon Street in Griffin (.05 miles), Mount Carmel Road/I-75 in Henry County (.07 miles), Lucille Avenue in Gwinnett County near Rockbridge Road (.18 miles), E. Spring Street in Monroe (.11 miles), Jonesboro Road in South Fulton (.18 mile), Virginia Avenue/I-85 near Hartsfield International Airport (.09 miles).
In 2001, leaders in the Georgia General Assembly broke apart neighborhoods, counties and communities of interest in an attempt to hold onto political power. ÊThe illness that followed has been a cancer on representative government. ÊSome of the symptoms have been a weakening of voting strength for many groups, confusion as to poll locations and even the identity of their representative, and many other related headaches.

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