GREENVILLE — In its first attempt at redrawing districts since a court ruling struck down a requirement for federal approval, Greenville County Council is expected to cut the number of districts that are more than 50 percent Black from two to one.

Population shifts within Greenville County mean District 25, on the west side of the county, could remain the lone district of 12 in which more than half the population is Black. District 23, which after the 2010 Census was still 50 percent Black, will no longer be a majority Black district, according to multiple members of County Council.

That district encompasses much of downtown Greenville and is currently represented by Councilwoman Xanthene Norris, who is 92 and said she is likely serving her final term on council. District 23 currently includes the communities of Sans Souci, City View, Judson, Dunean, Greater Sterling and Nicholtown, as well as the area around the Greenville Downtown Airport and the south side of East North Street, and Pelham Road to Haywood Road.

The dual effects of gentrification and housing growth have attracted more White residents to historically Black communities near downtown Greenville. The percentage of the voting age population in District 23 that is Black shrunk from 50 to 37 in the last decade, according to an analysis of the 2020 U.S. Census performed by the state Revenue and Fiscal Affairs Office.

When the county last drew council boundaries, the entire state had to submit changes to the Department of Justice for approval to ensure they did not unfairly affect the county’s minority residents. That requirement, made under the Voting Rights Act of 1965, was declared invalid in a 2013 Supreme Court ruling.

Frank Rainwater, executive director of the Revenue and Fiscal Affairs Office, told County Council during a special called meeting Nov. 4 to begin the redistricting process that the county no longer needed to submit its redrawn district boundaries for approval.

“Once you approve the plan, it is your plan,” Rainwater said.

The county could still face legal challenges if it does not adhere to criteria it established to govern the redistricting process. Among those criteria are that it would comply with the Federal Voting Rights Act, all other applicable court decisions, and federal and state laws.

Lawson Wetli, an attorney and the president of the League of Women Voters of Greenville County, said her organization recognized the importance of district boundaries because it affects whether votes truly matter.

A system where politicians draw the lines for their districts is intrinsically flawed,” she said. “The people who have the most to win or lose depending on how lines are drawn — elected officials — should not also have the power to draw them.

While she disagreed with the process, she acknowledged it wouldn’t change for this cycle. She called for transparency and inclusiveness.

We expect you to do your best to put your self-interests aside and to make your redistricting decisions with the goal of giving us, the voters, a meaningful voice in who represents us,” Wetli told the council. “One important element of that in Greenville County is representation of communities of color.

She said gentrification that has pushed minorities out of the city of Greenville should not lead to a loss of representation on County Council.

County Attorney Mark Tollison also encouraged the council to include public participation in its process and to give a voice to the public during its redistricting meetings. The redrawn boundaries will be brought as an ordinance and will have a public hearing and three readings by County Council sometime before March 2022, when the next round of election filing begins.

There are now more White residents than Black or Hispanic residents who live in District 23 and are of voting age. The district is currently 44 percent White, 37 percent Black and 15 percent Hispanic.

County Administrator Joe Kernell said there is no realistic way to draw lines that would give District 23 a Black population greater than 50 percent while also maintaining other redistricting guidelines, such as relatively equal population among districts, keeping voting precincts and communities of interest together and keeping districts contiguous.

District 25, currently represented by Councilman Ennis Fant, also has seen the percentage of Black residents fall. It now stands at 49 percent Black, 33 percent White and 14 percent Hispanic. Fant said the council would ensure his district boundaries are redrawn to restore a population that is more than 50 percent Black.

The council plans to provide a list of priorities for each district to maintain, such as keeping cities or neighborhoods together, removing odd boundaries and keeping a low variance between population sizes of the different districts.

The state Revenue and Fiscal Affairs Office will then sketch new district lines, which the council may refine before a vote is held.

The largest population variance leading to a shift in boundaries will be in District 27, where Butch Kirven currently serves as councilman. Rapid growth in Five Forks over the last decade put the total population in District 27 at nearly 54,000, more than 10,000 higher than the target to create even district populations.

District 27 will shrink in size and Kirven said he could lose the Five Forks area since his district also encompasses much of Simpsonville and Fountain Inn. But Lynn Ballard, who represents District 26 in southern Greenville County, said it is more likely Kirven would keep the Five Forks area but lose part of Fountain Inn or Simpsonville.

Meadows said the council would hold a workshop soon to hash out redistricting priorities.