Hancock County, GA

Hancock County, Georgia
Hancock County Courthouse in Sparta
Location in the U.S. state of Georgia
Georgia's location in the U.S.
Founded	December 17, 1793
Named for	John Hancock
Seat	Sparta
Largest city	Sparta
Area
• Total	479 sq mi (1,241 km2)
• Land	472 sq mi (1,222 km2)
• Water	6.8 sq mi (18 km2), 1.4%
Population
• (2010)	9,429
• Density	20/sq mi (8/km²)
Congressional district	10th
Time zone	Eastern: UTC-5/-4
Website	www.hancockcountyga.gov

Hancock County is a county located in the U.S. state of Georgia. As of the 2010 census, the population was 9,429. The county seat is Sparta. The county was created on December 17, 1793 and named for John Hancock.

Hancock County is included in the Milledgeville, GA Micropolitan Statistical Area.

Before the Civil War, Hancock County's economy was based on growing cotton as a commodity crop, and most labor was done by enslaved African Americans. This area is classified as part of the Black Belt of the United States, due to its fertile soil and later association with the slave society. As a result of the needs of the plantations, slaves made up 61% of the total county population in the 1850 Census. Unusually for such a plantation-dominated society, the county's representatives at the Georgia Secession Convention, overwhelmingly white and Democratic, all voted against secession in 1861.

The secession conventions were dominated by men who voted for separation, and George soon seceded and entered the war.

According to the 2010 census estimate, the racial makeup of the county seat of Sparta was 83.70% African American, 15.20% White, 0.46% from two or more races, 0.33% Asian, and 0.13% Native American. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.70% of the population. Most African Americans support the Democratic Party and whites support the Republican Party.

In August 2015, the majority-white Hancock County Board of Elections initiated an effort to purge minority voters from the rolls. They directed deputy sheriffs to the homes of more than 180 African Americans residing in the county seat of [[Sparta (these constituted some 20% of the city's total registered voters) to inform them they would lose their voting rights unless they appeared in court to prove their residency. A total of 53 voters were initially removed the voting rolls, but a federal judge overturned the Board's actions.