Drafts of the SC House and SC Senate redistricting maps have been released, and there is some bad news. While we find the Senate maps to be reasonable and not too dissimilar from our own proposals, maps released by the SC House Redistricting Ad Hoc Committee look like an extreme partisan gerrymander--beyond the current state of gerrymandered districts.
Our conclusion is based on a Clemson University research team's statistical analysis of over 1 billion potential simulated maps. This drastic partisan bias is clearly avoidable, as shown by the League’s proposed maps and even the current district maps from 2011!
If these maps pass, they will lead to the disenfranchisement of thousands of voters. Major communities of interest are divided, hundreds of precincts are split, and there are even fewer competitive districts, which will leave more voters with little to no choice in the voting booth.
Key legislators
On Monday, the House Redistricting Ad Hoc Committee (Jay Jordan, chair; Justin Bamberg, Beth Bernstein, Neal Collins, Jason Elliot, Pat Henegan, and Weston Newton) will determine if the proposed maps move forward to the full House Judiciary Committee on Tuesday.
How
1) Email redistricting [at] schouse.gov so that your concerns become part of the record.
2) Call or email your representative if your representative is a member of the House Judiciary Commitee.
Talking points
Ask the House Redistricting Ad Hoc Committee to go back to the drawing board and consider the approach taken in the LWV proposal:
• Fewer precinct splits
• Fewer county and municipal splits
• Put voters’ interests first, not prioritizing incumbency and partisan protection
• Protect communities of interest
If your new district would negatively impact communities of interest, let them know specifics! Your personalized input is important.
More info
"MY TURN: House, Senate maps differ on competitive districts" by Lynn Teague in the Statehouse Report, November 12, 2021
