Mom, the Kids Have the Crayons Again!
Let me tell you about something happening right now in Columbia, S.C.
Our state leaders are moving quickly to redraw South Carolina’s congressional map.
Again.
In the middle of the decade. No new census. No court order. No emergency.
Just what appears to be a phone call from Washington and a State House full of folks responding, “Yes, sir, right away.”
The bill is called H. 5683. Most lawmakers had not even seen it until the afternoon it dropped.
By the time you read this, it could already be law. That’s faster than my teacher friends and I yelling “tag, you’re it” and sending your kids back to you before the school doors close for summer.
Now, before your eyes glaze over because this sounds like something that belongs on C-SPAN at 2:17 in the morning, stay with me.
When politicians draw the maps that determine who represents us, they are not doing us a favor.
They are doing themselves a favor.
South Carolina has seven congressional seats and about 5.1 million people. Each district should contain roughly 731,000 people. In theory, the goal is simple: keep real communities together and let the people decide who speaks for them.
In practice, things can get a little more… creative.
Sometimes maps are drawn to figure out which voters produce inconvenient results, and then get them the heck outta there. Like scram and voilà.
It’s a magic trick.
If I were drawing the map, I’d start with a simple rule: keep communities with shared interests together.
Charleston County should stay whole. It is one county, one economy, one port, and one community.
The Columbia area could include Richland, Lexington, and Orangeburg counties.
Greenville and Spartanburg belong together. They share an airport, an interstate, and a regional economy.
York and Lancaster counties are closely tied to Charlotte and make sense as one district.
And the Pee Dee deserves a district that reflects the region, including places like Florence, Marion, Dillon, Darlington, and Williamsburg.
Would that produce a delegation that looks a little different politically?
Probably.
But if our first reaction is, “That’s bad for our team,” we may be asking the wrong question.
If we are confident in our ideas, why do we need to rearrange the boundaries to protect them?
And yes, both political parties have played this game.
But “they did it first” stopped being a good excuse sometime around third grade.
At the end of the day, our votes are supposed to choose our representatives.
Our representatives are not supposed to choose us.
When that principle gets reversed, we all lose.
So maybe it’s time for an independent redistricting commission with transparent rules, public hearings, and maps drawn in full view of the people.
Because the integrity of our vote is worth protecting.
And if we are going to play the game, at least let’s make sure the court is level before tip-off.