Despite a more than 16% increase in population in Greenville County between 2010 and 2020, new state House and Senate lines proposed in the redistricting process are not expected to change much, lawmakers say.
According to Rep. Jason Elliott, R-Greenville, a member of the state House redistricting subcommittee, the distribution of the Upstate’s population gains did not necessitate major changes in the new state senate and house lines drawn in the redistricting process.
Elliott said that due to the distribution of new residents revealed by the 2020 census, most state House districts were close to the new target population of 41,278, and thus changes were made mostly “at the margins.”
In Greenville County, new maps expected to be approved by the state House and Senate in early December will result in a net gain of one additional House member and one new Senate member to the county’s legislative delegation.
Specifically under the new plan, House District 7 will extend from Anderson County into the southernmost portion of Greenville County. House District 5 will extend from Pickens County into Greenville County to the Westside area. House District 36 will no longer extend from Spartanburg County into Greenville County in the Greer area.
On the state Senate side, Senate District 2 will extend into Greenville County from Pickens County in Berea.
New state Senate and House district lines expected to meet approval in both chambers early this month already face at least one legal challenge with more likely, Elliott said. Due to the political nature of the redistricting process, legal challenges at each redistricting have become the norm, he added.
Elliott said the hope is that both House and Senate plans will pass judicial scrutiny and be cleared to take effect by the time filing opens for primaries in March 2022. He said legal challenges to new congressional district lines might prove more strenuous in some areas, especially House districts 1 and 6 in the Lowcountry.
“The big picture is that the Upstate of South Carolina has benefited from a booming population, but we didn’t have to make the big changes that faced other parts of the state,” Elliott said.
Redistricting fast facts
- There are 124 South Carolina House districts with a target population based on the 2020 census of 41,278 residents.
- There are 46 SC Senate districts with a target population of 111,270.
- There are seven U.S. Congressional districts in the state with a target population of 731,204.
- To view state senate maps and data, visit redistricting.scsenate.gov/planproposal.
- To view state house maps and data, visit redistricting.schouse.gov.
