Federal judge draws new districts for Jasper County school board
Nearly six months after the Jasper County school board should have held its regular elections, it can finally set a date for voters to go to the polls.
On Monday, a federal judge approved a new voting plan for Jasper County that maintains nine seats on the school board. The primary change splits the Jasper County section of Sun City Hilton Head into two districts.
After reviewing multiple proposals, U.S. District Court Judge Richard Gergel created the plan to establish constitutional voting districts. Gergel called off the board's November elections in September after finding the districts to be unconstitutional, following a lawsuit filed against the school district by the ACLU.
The voting districts had become unbalanced over time, with roughly half of them deviating by more than 25 percent in population. As a result, the power of voters in the larger districts had become diluted, the suit said. The courts recommend a deviation no more than 10 percent, according to the suit.
"What Judge Gergel did was create a plan that probably takes the best elements of all the plans he had before him," Ken Childs, a lawyer representing the school board, said in a news release Tuesday.
All nine seats will be up for election. Gergel has directed county election officials to determine a time to hold a special election, expected to take place in August or September.
Gergel has not yet determined who will pay the plaintiffs' legal costs, the costs for the mediator or the costs for the special election. The ACLU filed the suit on behalf of Priscilla Fraser, George M. Hood, Louise Rawlings and Anthony Cannick -- all residents of District 7, the board's most populated district. Priscilla Fraser is currently the District 7 board member.
Childs said the school board should not have to pay the plaintiffs' legal costs or for the mediator because it did not have any control over the voting districts. The Jasper County Legislative Delegation is responsible for maintaining current and constitutional voting districts for the school board. The districts have not been changed in more than 15 years.
Several of the proposed maps created seven districts while others maintained nine. By splitting Sun City -- which created much of the imbalance because of its growth -- Gergel created a plan all could agree with, Childs said.
To preserve the district's staggered elections schedule, the odd-numbered districts will have a four-year cycle and the even-numbered districts' members will be elected for a two-year term and then a four-year term.
After the upcoming election, all terms will end so they coincide with the traditional November election date.
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Related content:
- Outside input irks Jasper County school officials, residents , October 29, 2014
- Judge calls off Jasper County school board elections in November , September 9, 2014
- ACLU sues Jasper County schools, alleges improper school board districts: Civil liberties group says current districts lack population balance, undermining right to vote , June 25, 2014
This story was originally published April 28, 2015 at 7:33 PM with the headline "Federal judge draws new districts for Jasper County school board ."