Columbia, SC - As SC Senate public hearings on redistricting begin this week, with SC House hearings to follow, the League of Women Voters of South Carolina (LWVSC) urges voters to attend or submit comments, and insist that their representatives produce maps that are grounded in criteria designed for voters, not for incumbents and their parties. A full list of the ten public hearings with their dates and locations can be found here.

This week, the LWVSC will also convene a special nonpartisan Redistricting Advisory Committee (RAC), composed of experts from across South Carolina, to help inform our own map-drawing process.

These members represent different areas of the state, different political backgrounds, and different areas of expertise. We are pleased that they have agreed to give us their input on fair maps for SC voters. The LWVSC will submit maps to the SC legislature this fall for consideration. The public will have access to these maps and the RAC assessments of our maps. The public will also be invited to attend a RAC meeting.

One concern we have is that our current maps have exacerbated the lack of choice for voters at election time. For instance, only 9 out of the 124 SC House districts had competitive races in 2020 (with a margin of 10% or less.)Maps detailing this issue are available here.

The criteria that the legislature adopts to guide the redistricting process will be key. We are recommending that map-drawing criteria exclude partisan and incumbent protection and intentions to reduce competitiveness.

“Our new legislative maps should safeguard the interests of minority voters with reasonable and effective, not “packed,” districts. Communities of interest, especially those defined by county and precinct lines and major geographic features, should be protected,” said Lynn Teague, Vice President of Issues and Action for the League of Women Voters of South Carolina.

Voters can follow our Redistricting Blog – Voters Rule - to stay up-to-date on the latest news on redistricting in South Carolina.

“The League wants senators to put voters first, and not draw districts that make our votes in November meaningless and our politics more polarized,” says LWVSC President Nancy Williams.