COLUMBIA, S.C. — With less than a month until the statewide primary election, voters in South Carolina are gearing up to cast their ballots for new members of the state House, Senate, and Congress.
Redistricting occurs every ten years following the census to reflect population changes.
According to the latest U.S. Census population count, the state saw an increase of nearly 500,000 people over the past decade.
Lynn Teague from the South Carolina League of Women Voters explains that some district lines were redrawn, while others were added or subtracted.
"There are places in the state that would never be highly competitive because of the population," Teague said. "There are many more places that ought to be competitive in November that are not, and that is by design."
For instance, Senator Dick Harpootlian's district was relocated to Charleston, while Democratic state Sen. Brad Hutto's district expanded northward to include areas of Aiken and Lexington counties. Meanwhile, candidates are now vying to replace Sen. Nikki Setzler.
Redistricting doesn't just impact state House seats but also Congressional seats. A federal court earlier this year ruled that this year's congressional elections in South Carolina will be held under a map that it had already deemed unconstitutional and discriminatory against Black voters.
“We believe that Congressional District one was drawn in a way that just completely disrupts existing communities of interest,” said Teague.
Teague emphasizes the importance of voter participation, especially in primaries.
"Very few people vote in the primaries. This is an infraction, destroying our democracy," Teague noted. "If everybody in the state voted in the primaries, we would have a different government."
Teague urges all registered voters to visit SCVotes.gov and request a sample ballot to familiarize themselves with the candidates in their race.
"You need to figure out who they are and vote in June," Teague emphasized.