Joint letters to the SC Senate and House Redistricting Subcommittees

Subject

Duty to comply with the U.S. Constitution and Voting Rights Act; recommendations for transparency, public involvement, and fair representation in South Carolina's redistricting process

From 

NAACP Legal Defense Fund, American Civil Liberties Union, SC Conference of the NAACP, League of Women Voters of South Carolina, SC Appleseed Legal Justice Center, SC Progressive Network

Date

August 2, 2021 

Summary

In their joint letters, the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, American Civil Liberties Union, South Carolina State Conference of the NAACP, League of Women Voters of South Carolina, South Carolina Appleseed Legal Justice Center, and South Carolina Progressive Network Education Fund reminded both the Senate and House Redistricting Subcommittees of their baseline affirmative obligations to comply with the U.S. Constitution and Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act.

Both Subcommittees must ensure that any maps adopted comply with the “One Person, One Vote” mandate of the Fourteenth Amendment’s Equal Protection Clause and Section 2’s “nationwide ban on racial discrimination in voting.”

The joint letters encouraged the Subcommittees to create meaningful opportunities for all residents to engage in each phase of the redistricting process—both in-person and remotely —and before, during, and after receiving census data. 

Subcommittees were urged to ensure transparency by updating redistricting websites daily, publicizing all data used by the Legislature to inform its plans, and conducting proceedings in public. 

For discussion of 14th amendment and Voting Rights Act obligations, priorities for public involvement, and best practices to ensure transparency, refer to the full letters.