A Guide to Georgia Legislative Procedure and Redistricting Terms

Georgia's General Assembly, also known as the "Gold Dome," has its own vocabulary to describe legislative processes. Here's a guide tos ome of the common terms, along with some additional helpful information.

Mapmaking and Voting Rights

• Redistricting: The process of redrawing the boundaries of congressional and state legislative districts in Georgia. This process determines which voters are grouped together to elect each representative.

• Gerrymandering: The practice of drawing district lines specifically to give one political party an unfair advantage, enabling it to win more legislative seats relative to its overall share of the vote.

• Voting Rights Act: The 1965 federal civil rights law enacted to protect minority voters from discrimination, including prohibiting electoral maps that dilute their voting power.

• Louisiana v. Callais: An April 2026 Supreme Court decision that gutted the remaining protections under the Voting Rights Act against discriminatory redistricting maps.

Legislative Sessions and Authority

• Special Session: A meeting of the Georgia legislature called by the governor outside the standard January-to-April regular session. A special session is strictly limited to the topics specified by the governor on the agenda, known as "the call."

• Lame-Duck Session: A legislative session held after an election but before newly elected officials take office. During this period, outgoing officials can act on legislation without facing immediate accountability from voters.

• Veto Override: The constitutional mechanism by which the Georgia General Assembly passes a bill into law over a governor's veto. To successfully override a veto, a two-thirds vote is required in both the Georgia House of Representatives and the State Senate.