The Charleston Area Subscribed Articles

The Charleston Area Subscribed Articles

Press Mention

Post & Courier
By Editorial Staff

Leslie Skardon with the League of Women voters joins with representatives of Better Ballot SC, the S.C. Small Business Chamber of Commerce and S.C. Veterans for All Voters to support Charleston’s resolution in favor of ranked-choice voting. Robert Behre/Staff

We believe Charleston Mayor-elect William Cogswell still would be Charleston’s mayor-elect if the city had used a ranked-choice voting system this year rather than the traditional method, which involved both a general municipal election and then a runoff two weeks later; after all, Mr. Cogswell received the most votes the first time around, and more than two-thirds of those castling ballots on Nov. 7 preferred someone other than the incumbent John Tecklenburg.

Blog Post

Charleston is first to seek instant-runoff voting
By Skyler Baldwin
Statehouse Report
Statewide advocacy groups are lauding a coming proposal by Charleston leaders who are asking the state legislature to allow municipalities to use instant-runoff voting, also known as ranked-choice voting, in future local elections.

Press Mention

The Statehouse Report

Statewide advocacy groups are lauding a coming proposal by Charleston leaders who are asking the state legislature to allow municipalities to use instant-runoff voting, also known as ranked-choice voting, in future local elections. “Ranked-choice voting has the opportunity to move people to the middle and create a sense of camaraderie in our elections where we want to move toward solutions instead of creating more bitterness,” added Leslie Skardon, director of national issues for the League of Women Voters of South Carolina.

Press Mention

The Post & Courier

Charleston Mayon John Tecklenburg plans to introduce a resolution to add instant runoff, or ranked choice voting, as an alternative to current election methods. Representatives from four statewide organizations, including the League of Women Voters of South Carolina, held a press conference Dec. 14, 2023, applauding the resolution.

Public Statement

The independence of the judiciary so that it can provide checks and balances to the other branches of government is fundamental to the integrity and health of our system of government and to the confidence of the public in that system. We believe that Judicial Merit Selection Commission (JMSC) process should be amended: (1) to preclude legislative membership, and (2) to raise the cap on the number of qualified applicants’ names submitted to the General Assembly. In addition, the qualifications to serve as magistrate should be more rigorous and judicial budgets should be protected from being singled out for reduction.

Public Statement

Because of heavily weighted districts, most elections in South Carolina are decided in the primaries.
At present a very small percentage of voters turn out for these elections, usually less than 20%. Under these conditions, small groups can elect candidates who will shape government to reflect their preferences. Unfortunately, our most extreme fellow citizens tend to be among our most highly motivated. They vote in every election.
Instead of allowing them to decide how we are governed, we must all vote in the primaries.

Making Democracy Work Logo
Blog Post

The S. C. House of Representatives Ad Hoc Committee to Examine the Judicial Selection and Retention Process has begun its work. The Committee is chaired by Rep. Tommy Pope and includes representatives William Bailey, Micah Caskey, Brandon Guffey, Robby Robbins, Ivory Thigpen, Chris Wooten, Weston Newton, Justin Bamberg, Gilda Cobb-Hunter, Russell Ott, Annen Thayer and Spencer Wetmore.

Press Mention

Press Interview: WLTX News 19

The United States Supreme Court is set to hear arguments Wednesday regarding the redistricting of South Carolina's First Congressional District. The case centers around allegations of racial gerrymandering, with civil rights groups arguing that the district lines were drawn in a way that diluted the power of Black voters in the Charleston area. Lynn Teague, spokesperson for the League of Women Voters emphasized, " Black voters are being hurt, but all voters are not having their community being accurately represented."

Amicus brief panelists
News

As the US Supreme Court docket moves Alexander v. South Carolina State Conference of NAACP closer to its Wednesday, October 11th hearing date, virtual talks on the impacts of those cases for South Carolina Black voters, and for the nation as a whole, are now available online. Among panelists featured: Lynn Teague, LWVSC Vice President, Issues & Action.

Blog Post

Women's status in South Carolina is at the top of unwanted phenomena like domestic violence and maternal and child mortality, and at the bottom of desirable phenomena like equal pay, reproductive choice, and LGBTQ+ rights. To improve women's well-being requires a robust, diverse representation of women in government

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