The State newspaper

A redrawn South Carolina congressional map expected to deepen Republicans’ advantage in the state was signed into law. The final product, a slight deviation from the current congressional map, splits 10 counties, maintains the 6th Congressional District as a majority-minority district, and expands Republican influence in the competitive 1st District. Lynn Teague, vice president for issues and action with the League of Women Voters of South Carolina, called the new congressional map a “distorted map made worse.”

The Post & Courier

Columbia, January 17 - Months after a newspaper investigation exposed how dozens of political officials across South Carolina get away with refusing to pay their ethics fines, state lawmakers appear to be taking action. But passing ethics reform could also require grassroots activists and voters to contact their legislators and demand change. And building that momentum has been a struggle, said Teague, the League of Women Voters official.

When her group urges residents to call their lawmakers, they often respond that it won’t do any good because government is broken beyond repair, Teague said.

Teague said government leaders “should be ashamed they’ve given the people of South Carolina reason to be cynical.”

The Post & Courier

Columbia, January 15 - There are more than two dozen bills to change South Carolina election laws filed by Statehouse Republicans and Democrats waiting to be acted upon this session. Voting rights organizations like the League of Women Voters support some tenets of the Republican-backed legislation, including provisions to increase transparency within county election offices and expand oversight of the Election Commission. However, the League’s main lobbyist in Columbia, Lynn Teague, says much of the language in bills to purge the voter rolls or enact restrictions on absentee balloting could potentially disenfranchise voters.

Of the two very different proposals under consideration by this Subcommittee, Amendment 2 shows that by doing so it is possible to keep both Charleston and Beaufort counties whole in CD 1 while meeting equal population requirements. The resulting district is highly competitive,

We ask you to consider Amendment 2, the LWVSC proposal submitted to you, and other options that are less damaging to voter rights and to reasonable political dialogue than Amendment 1. Please reject the temptation to prevent voters from choosing their representative in November.