redistricting

Leading South Carolina Republican lawmakers are dismissing allegations they're taking too long to draw new congressional and legislative districts. The response came in a filing this week by attorneys for state House Speaker Jay Lucas and chairmen of two House committees presiding over the process. It's part of a lawsuit from civil rights groups against Gov. Henry McMaster, state election officials and lawmakers over the yet-to-be-redrawn boundaries. The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People and the American Civil Liberties Union say time is running out for potential candidates to research new districts and settle any lawsuits.

Two civil rights groups are suing South Carolina, saying state lawmakers are taking too long to draw new maps for U.S. and state House districts. Candidates are required to file to run for the 2022 races by the end of March. But the lawsuit says time is running out to allow potential candidates to research new districts and settle any lawsuits over whether new maps are fair. The lawsuit was filed Tuesday by the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People and the American Civil Liberties Union. The COVID-19 pandemic delayed release of 2020 U.S. Census data used to draw the maps until August.

The South Carolina House will take online testimony this week about redistricting as it appears the General Assembly won't take up the new maps for U.S. House and state Senate and House districts for several months.

South Carolina Senate President Harvey Peeler has sent a letter to senators canceling the special session set to begin Oct. 12. They were supposed to debate how to spend billions of dollars in federal COVID-19 relief money and redistricting. Peeler says the a subcommittee working on the new state Senate districts won't have the maps ready. And since the House doesn't plan to take up the pandemic money until January, there was no need to pass that bill now.

A special House committee working on drawing new districts based on the 2020 U.S. Census is crisscrossing South Carolina this week.

A group of South Carolina senators will continue to travel the state this week with three more public hearings about how to draw new districts for South Carolina House and Senate seats as well as the U.S. House. Joining the redistricting work this week is a House committee holding an organizational meeting Tuesday at the Statehouse. Both the House ad hoc committee and Senate subcommittee will use the new 2020 U.S. Census data to draw maps for the 46 state Senate districts, 124 state House districts and seven U.S. House districts. The Senate subcommittee meeting are taking place Monday in Greenville, Tuesday in Florence and Wednesday in Beaufort.

South Carolina's rapid growth isn't happening in rural areas, and people who live outside places like Greenville, Myrtle Beach and the suburbs of Charlotte, North Carolina, are worried this year's redistricting is going to take away more of their dwindling power.