SC redistricting maps with major implications for Richland County head to governor’s desk
South Carolina’s redrawn voting maps will soon head to the governor for his signature.
By a vote of 75-27, the House on Thursday passed an amended bill that incorporates the maps each chamber adopted earlier in the week. The legislation must first be signed, or ratified, by the Senate president and House speaker, but will go to the governor’s desk right after.
Both House and Senate maps required substantial adjustments due to the state’s significant population growth over the past decade and the changes made will be felt across the state for years to come.
Richland County will lose a representative in the State House due to the merger of two of the county’s 12 House districts — represented by Democratic Reps. Wendy Brawley and Jermaine Johnson — and Columbia Sen. Dick Harpootlian will sacrifice his seat to a legislator in Charleston.
The fast-growing counties of Charleston, Horry and York all will gain House seats under the new maps, while some areas that grew more modestly or not at all are in line to lose legislative representation.
The House plan, which passed 100-15, has been criticized as an “extreme partisan gerrymander” that favors Republicans and incumbent politicians. It is expected to shift the state’s political balance further to the right and could cut in half the number of competitive districts in the state.
The Senate plan has been less controversial. It passed 41-2, but is not projected to immediately change the 30-16 advantage Republicans currently hold in that chamber.
It remains a distinct possibility that one or both of the maps could be challenged in court.
Lawmakers also must approve a congressional map by spring, but don’t plan to hash out its details until the new year because of bipartisan reservations over the Senate’s initial congressional proposal.
“We’ve got miles to go before we get there on the Congressional plan,” Senate Judiciary Chairman Luke Rankin, R-Horry, said Monday.
This story was originally published December 9, 2021 at 1:49 PM with the headline "SC redistricting maps with major implications for Richland County head to governor’s desk."