Alternate House’s proposal for new SC Congress card criticized

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CHARLESTON, SC (WCSC) – As South Carolina’s redistribution process nears completion, staff at the State House of Representatives and Senate have drafted drafts for their respective members to consider as they’re working on the new South Carolina congressional map.

This map, along with the state House and Senate maps, must be redrawn every 10 years using new US Census data to ensure that the district populations are roughly equal. The updated House and Senate maps were promulgated by Governor Henry McMaster, but the House map already faces a legal challenge.

On Wednesday, a second alternate House staff map was presented at a House Redistribution subcommittee meeting in Columbia.

After the subcommittee heard public testimony on the staff’s initial proposal before Christmas, a lawmaker said at Wednesday’s meeting that she was not even aware that this second proposal was in the works.

“I just don’t know why we are even considering this alternative card, unbeknownst to me as a member of the committee,” said Rep. Beth Bernstein, D – Richland.

House redistribution subcommittee chair Jay Jordan, R – Florence, said the alternate map was drawn after considering public comments regarding the staff’s first proposal. This map was rejected by residents of Hilton Head and Beaufort County in a December 16 meeting for placing Beaufort County in a congressional district different from other Lowcountry counties along the Atlantic coast. These residents argued that their communities shared the same interests, so they should have the same representation on Capitol Hill.

The alternative proposal maintains Beaufort County in the same district, Congress District 1, as its coastal neighbors.

“This is a starting point for the conversation for the committee to consider the different pros and cons of the different concepts of where these district lines are to be drawn,” Jordan said of the new map proposal.

During Wednesday’s conversation, no member of the public came out in favor of the alternative card.

“The congressional maps proposed by this committee are flawed in several physical ways,” said NAACP South Carolina conference chair Brenda Murphy.

“We believe he is an obvious racial and partisan gerrymander and should be rejected,” added Lynn Teague of the League of Women Voters of South Carolina.

As with previous congressional map projects, most criticism has focused on Charleston, as the alternate plan would keep Charleston County separate into several districts.

Critics have argued that it would lump black voters in the North Charleston area into a largely African-American 6th district currently owned by Democrat Jim Clyburn, solidifying it as a Democratic-dominated district spanning from Columbia to the Atlantic Ocean.

“The interests of my community have nothing really in common with the Lexington or Columbia area other than that we are in the same state,” said Gloria Aslanidis, Charleston County resident.

Speakers also claimed that the other district representing Charleston County in the new proposal, the 1st District, would turn whiter and redder as a non-competitive and strong district for Republicans.

That seat is South Carolina’s only currently competitive, moving from Republican to Democrat to Republican since 2018 and is now represented by Republican Nancy Mace.

“It’s not fair, downright unethical, and it’s not in the best interest of the Charleston area or Columbia for that matter,” said Samuel Grant, a student at Charleston Southern University and native of Columbia, about the alternative card.

In November, Senate staff revealed they had received comments on his Congressional card proposal from a national Republican group.

This Senate staff proposal is similar to the House staff alternative proposal and has also been heavily criticized.

Bernstein asked Jordan at Wednesday’s meeting whether national party groups had been consulted in crafting the House’s proposal.

“I don’t know if I would say they were consulted,” Jordan replied. “I would say their plans and contributions were received and, therefore, were available for review.”

Jordan said the subcommittee would likely meet once again in the New Year to discuss and approve a card to send to the House Judiciary Committee.

The full House and Senate will need to approve one final card after they return to Colombia in January for their regular legislative session, with the nomination deadline for candidates running in these redesigned congressional districts at the end of March.

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