Above, in November 2020, some voters decided who would represent them. In other districts, legislators had already decided. Did you have a choice? View the enlarged maps following this article.
SC Senate Redistricting Meetings
The Senate website is up and running, and the revised public hearing schedule is posted. Hearings kick off at 6: 30 p.m on Tuesday, July 27, Columbia in Room 105 of the Gressette Building. Information will be posted on the Senate website to explain how to sign up to testify in person, by zoom, or in writing.
These first meetings will occur before the release of census data. Those testifying are expected to speak especially on communities of interest that are of concern to them and on the criteria to be used for drawing the districts, but citizens can of course bring up other areas of concern about the process or substance of redistricting. As always, information that may be helpful to those preparing is available on our South Carolina League website.
The theme that we are emphasizing is #WeAreWatching. Above all, legislators should understand that we are paying attention and will hold them accountable.
Check back at the Senate site over the next several days for information on how to sign up to testify or submit testimony.
House Redistricting Meetings
The House has scheduled the first meeting of their Redistricting Ad Hoc Committee for 10:30 AM on Tuesday, August 3, in Room 110 of the Blatt Building. We believe that it will be organizational, as the first meeting of the Senate Redistricting 2021 Subcommittee was. The committee includes:
- Jay Jordan, Jr., chair
- Bamberg
- Bernstein
- Collins
- Elliott
- Henegan
- Brandon Newton
- Weston Newton
We remain concerned that the House schedule may be even more compressed than that in the Senate or may extend past the time census data are available and map drawing has already begun in earnest.
The Position of the League of Women Voters of South Carolina on Criteria:
- should exclude partisan and incumbent protection
- should not be drawn with the intention of reducing competitiveness
- should avoid splitting counties and precincts when possible
#WeAreWatching
2020 South Carolina District Maps: Competitive v. Non-Competitive
We can do better than this!
