SC Senate committee approves redistricting proposal

COLUMBIA, S.C. (WIS) - A proposal to change South Carolina’s Congressional districts less than a week before early voting begins is heading to the state Senate.

The Senate Judiciary Committee voted to send the bill to the Senate floor after a hearing on Wednesday that included hours of public testimony. More than 70 people signed up to speak.

The full state Senate is expected to begin debate on the redistricting plan as early as Thursday.

The Senate’s work comes after a late night in the House, where lawmakers approved their redistricting proposal. The plan would delay U.S. House primaries until Aug. 18 while establishing new Congressional district lines.

Election officials warned senators that the timeline and changes would come with a significant price tag.

INTERACTIVE PROPOSED MAP

South Carolina Election Commission Executive Director Conway Belangia said delaying the primary election could cost more than $5 million — more than double early estimates made just weeks ago.

“It is a monumental task — lots of man-hours, lots of work — not only from the state Election Commission but all the counties,” Belangia said.

Belangia told lawmakers the state has already sent out about 11,500 ballots, with roughly 2,500 returned. Of those, 800 ballots were sent to military voters, and about 300 have been returned so far.

The added cost includes about $3.5 million in expenses for the state Election Commission and nearly $2 million more for counties, bringing the total to roughly $5 million.

At the local level, election directors said the financial burden would be substantial. Richland County Voter Registration and Elections Director Travis Alexander told senators a delayed primary could cost his county about $800,000.

“That is supplement pay for poll workers, ballot cards, some of the postage,” Alexander said, noting additional complications because schools will be back in session by mid-August. “For a lot of the elementary schools, districts will say we can’t use their schools.”

Beyond cost concerns, some local leaders objected to how the proposed district lines would shift communities. Mount Pleasant Mayor Will Haynie testified against the House map, saying it would divide his town from parts of Charleston despite strong economic and geographic ties.

“We are tied so closely to the Charleston region — to their economy, to Boeing, to the military, to Volvo,” Haynie said. “Our people commute, they work there, they come home to Mount Pleasant.”

Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Luke Rankin, a Republican from Horry County, said the pace and scope of the current effort are unlike anything he has seen in more than two decades in the Senate.

“It’s a unique bit of political work in that, to my knowledge, this has never been done before,” Rankin said.

Rankin compared the current timeline to the last time lawmakers redrew congressional district lines, a process that took roughly two and a half years. By contrast, the current redistricting effort is unfolding over a compressed schedule during a special legislative session.

Lawmakers indicated they are prepared to continue working through the upcoming holiday weekend if necessary.

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