Redistricting SC now is merely a power grab
The move by the Republican members of the South Carolina General Assembly to redraw the Congressional district lines, at the behest of President Trump and with the aid of Gov. McMaster, this close to our primary elections is nothing short of a power grab and an attempt to silence the voices of South Carolina voters.
Our primary elections are set for June 9. Early voting starts May 26. Absentee ballots have already been sent out. The votes of the men and women of South Carolina serving overseas are already being returned. Changing the election date and the map at this stage ensures only one thing: chaos. The director of the State Election Commission has already voiced concerns about the veracity of the election results if new maps were to be adopted under this rushed process. Gov. McMaster and many GOP members of the General Assembly previously voiced opposition to midterm redistricting in the state. Unfortunately, to no one’s surprise, they seem to be buckling under pressure from Donald Trump.
It is no coincidence that every state that has rushed to redraw their congressional maps following the Supreme Court’s Callais decision on April 29, which gutted Section II of the Voting Rights Act, are all former Confederate states. Contrary to their assertions that the Voting Rights Act is no longer necessary, they are, in fact, proving just how vital that historic piece of legislation is. Roughly, one in four citizens of this state are Black and anywhere between 40-45% of voters in this state consistently vote Democratic. Yet, the publicly stated goal of this redistricting effort is to remove the only Black representative and Democratic member of our congressional delegation.
Constitutionally, redistricting occurs after the U.S. Census every 10 years, not at the whims of an unpopular President who can only maintain power through chaos and disenfranchisement rather than actual governance and true leadership. When the party in power demonstrates that they cannot effectively govern it is the right of the people to vote them out. This effort seeks to rob the voters of that right. What Republicans in Columbia are doing is wrong. I know it. You know it. They know it!