MACON, Ga.: Ga. lawmakers working to respond to DOJ inquiry | State News | Macon.com

MACON, Ga. — A state lawmaker says elections for Macon-Bibb County’s newly formed consolidated government system will likely be held in November after the Department of Justice essentially halted a nonpartisan election that was scheduled for mid-July.

Republican state Rep. Allen Peake, of Macon, called the federal action a delay tactic Wednesday. Lawmakers have been given 60 days to respond to the federal inquiry and Peake says federal officials have 60 days after that to respond to them.

The delegation’s legislative counsel said nonpartisan elections were conducted during summer primaries and officials were unaware that nonpartisan elections could also be held in the fall, Peake said.

The Voting Rights Act requires states with a history of discrimination, mainly in the Deep South, to get approval before making changes in the way elections are held. The Supreme Court is wrestling with the fate of a section of the landmark civil rights law that has helped millions of Americans exercise their right to vote.

Federal officials are probing whether summer elections would have had a disparate racial impact on voter turnout. Georgia Secretary of State records show black voter turnout was significantly lower during July primaries than during the November 2012 elections.

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