Midlands voters voice redistricting concerns to SC senators. How you can participate
One woman asked South Carolina senators Tuesday night to look closely at Saluda County when they begin to redraw the district lines for the chamber’s 46 members in the next month or so to reduce the number of senators who represent the county of fewer than 21,000 residents — currently three.
Another man of the Sikh faith urged senators to ensure that the nearly 150 businesses owned and operated by the Sikh and Indian communities on Decker Boulevard in northeast Columbia — known as Richland County’s international corridor — are kept together.
“So whenever you redraw those lines, please consider, keep in mind that we are immigrants. Any of you in the political process, there (is) not any member who looks like me ...,” District 22 resident Amarjit Singh, a teacher at historically Black university Benedict College, said, referring to the make up of the state Legislature. “So consider our minority rights at the same time so that we can freely be a part of this process with the other communities.”
Voters from 10 Midlands area counties were encouraged to speak Tuesday night to voice community concerns that could help senators as they begin to redraw district lines, based on the 2020 U.S. Census population figures. Not only does that data decide whether a state loses or gains a seat in the U.S. House — South Carolina did neither — but it helps indicate in part where the flow of federal dollars should go.
Roughly 30 people spoke Tuesday, most from the Columbia area, but few centered their comments on how the once-in-a-decade process could impact their community.
Most of the public who attended voiced concern about transparency and asked that, moving forward, lawmakers create an independent commission to draw the maps. Others asked senators to avoid gerrymandering districts, what can tilt districts toward certain political parties and protect incumbents — a process criticized because it lessens a voter’s chance at having a say at the ballot box.
“Protecting self interest is a powerful motivator, and few things impact the self interest of legislators more than redistricting,” said Lynn Teague with the League of Women Voters South Carolina. “This shows in our current maps. A substantial majority of South Carolina’s voters had no real choice when they voted in November 2020.”
The census won’t release updated and local population data until Aug. 16, a delay caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. But what lawmakers do know is South Carolina’s population is growing. The census showed the state grew by more than 10.7% since 2010, bumping the state’s population to more than 5.1 million people.
The hearing in Columbia Tuesday was the first of 10 hearings the special Senate panel will hold across the state, with the second on Wednesday in Sumter and the third in Rock Hill on Thursday. All meetings are scheduled to start at 6:30 p.m.
The final meeting is scheduled in Aiken County on Aug. 12.
While the Senate is responsible for redrawing their maps — based on 111,270 people per district — the House will be focused on their own and hold separate meetings. The House’s first organizational hearing will be held next Tuesday.
The two chambers will collectively work on the U.S. House districts.
To join the Senate’s email list to hear about upcoming meetings, residents can send their name, telephone number and email to redistricting@scsenate.gov. To speak at a hearing, email redistricting@scsenate.gov, call 803-212-6634 or sign up in person.
SC Senate’s redistricting schedule
The Senate will hold nine more meetings across the state to take testimony. They are:
▪ Wednesday, July 28, Central Carolina Technical College in Sumter
For these counties: Clarendon, Kershaw, Lee, Sumter and Williamsburg
▪ Thursday, July 29, York Technical College in Rock Hill
For these counties: Cherokee, Chester, Chesterfield, Fairfield, Kershaw, Lancaster, Newberry, Union and York
▪ Monday, Aug. 2, Greenville Technical College in Greenville
For these counties: Abbeville, Anderson, Cherokee, Greenwood, Laurens, Oconee, Pickens, Spartanburg and Union
▪ Tuesday, Aug. 3, Florence-Darlington Technical College in Florence
For these counties: Chesterfield, Clarendon, Darlington, Dillon, Florence, Georgetown, Horry, Lee, Marion, Marlboro, Sumter and Williamsburg
▪ Wednesday, Aug. 4, Auditorium in MacLean Hall at Technical College of the Lowcountry in Beaufort
For these counties: Beaufort, Colleton, Hampton and Jasper
▪ Monday, Aug. 9, Orangeburg-Calhoun Technical College in Orangeburg
For these counties: Bamberg, Barnwell, Calhoun and Orangeburg
▪ Tuesday, Aug. 10, Trident Technical College in North Charleston
For these counties: Beaufort, Berkeley, Charleston, Colleton, Dorchester, Georgetown, Hampton, Jasper and Orangeburg
▪ Wednesday, Aug. 11, Horry-Georgetown Technical College in Conway
For these counties: Dillon, Georgetown, Horry, Marion, Marlboro and Williamsburg
▪ Thursday, Aug. 12, Aiken Technical College in Graniteville
For these counties: Aiken, Allendale, Bamberg, Barnwell, Edgefield, Hampton, Lexington, McCormick, Orangeburg and Saluda
This story was originally published July 28, 2021 at 9:20 AM with the headline "Midlands voters voice redistricting concerns to SC senators. How you can participate."
