County redistricting plan a collaborative effort

Following the decennial census, governing bodies are required to reapportion their lines to ensure (nearly) one man, one vote is consistent with the Constitution.

 

In a booming county like Berkeley, this is emphatically important. For example, for those of us in District 2, our district has grown to approximately 39,000 people; whereas, District 8 has only approximately 22,000. Thus, the census is the mechanism that fixes malapportioned districts that occur due to growth and migration.

 

It has been a pleasure serving on the redistricting committee whose work will impact the near quarter million in population that call Berkeley County home. To lead this effort, I sponsored a bill (Bill No. 21-76) that was strictly about the process and not the actual drawing of lines. That is, we engaged specialized legal counsel that guided us, in writing, on constitutionally permissible bases to draw lines and we codified it in an ordinance. For example, we strove (albeit imperfectly) to keep communities of interest together, to geographically improve current lines, and to anticipate future growth where possible.  

 

In my view, it is prudent to proactively hire counsel than need litigation counsel to defend the lines. Bill No. 21-76 passed unanimously on a bipartisan basis. That ordinance has guided a thoughtful discussion that can otherwise be difficult and a lot like herding cats.  

 

Going forward, with the new redistricting plan, each of us on council will represent approximately 28,700 (give or take a margin of 5%). Thus, for District 2, lines had to be drawn to move approximately 11,000 persons to other districts.

 

It was important to me that District 2 keep as much of its character as possible. Thus, the current plan maintains all of Daniel Island, and a majority of Clements Ferry Road (and takes on the Cooper River side of Clements Ferry Road for a significant length). It also maintains key constituencies on the other side of the Cooper River, including Tanner Plantation and the Naval Weapons Station. The majority of the change in the district is in Goose Creek.

 

Unfortunately, with how “census blocks” are delivered, lines look meandering from the word go, which leads to assumptions of “gerrymandering.” I can attest that our lines were drawn based on constitutionally permissible bases with an effort to unite as many precincts in the same district to decrease voter confusion (or precinct worker confusion).

 

We were not able to perfectly achieve whole precinct alignment, but it was a perfect base to start the drawing of our maps. Further, the redistricting committee is a bipartisan group that has taken many hours to cohesively and collectively draw lines based on good reasoning and judgment. After leaving one long Friday workshop together, several councilmen called each other to attest that the meeting was one of the most productive and impactful activities since we had been on council.

 

As of the deadline of writing this piece, the maps have passed two readings and have a final reading remaining. At the time of the final vote, there will have been multiple public hearings, multiple meetings, countless hours of individual and committee work, and what I believe are good, fair, and most importantly, constitutionally defensible lines. I can personally attest that we have listened and will implement changes due to well-reasoned public input. I do believe the final recommended maps will be slightly different than at first reading, which is a result of collaboration and listening. I am very proud of the work that has been done.

 

It is my hope that all our energy and work by council on the front end will produce lines that serve the public’s best interest and have the best chance of not being challenged in litigation, which is not in the best interest of the taxpayers of Berkeley County.  

 

Finally, I must thank Supervisor Johnny Cribb and his administration, particularly our GIS department, and Director of Voter Registration and Elections Rosie Brown, for their work on these maps and their professionalism each step of the way. 

 

Please email me at josh.whitley@berkeleycountysc.gov if you have any questions. As always, thank you for the opportunity to serve.

 

Berkeley County Councilman Josh Whitley oversees District 2, representing Daniel Island, the Clements Ferry Corridor, Hanahan and Goose Creek.