McMaster to Call Special Session for South Carolina House Redraw After 5 GOP Senators Balk
Updated
Updated · POLITICO · May 13
McMaster to Call Special Session for South Carolina House Redraw After 5 GOP Senators Balk
12 articles · Updated · POLITICO · May 13
Gov. Henry McMaster plans to call a special session to redraw South Carolina’s U.S. House map after five Republican senators joined Democrats to block a procedural measure this week.
That route matters because a special session would let lawmakers pass a new map by simple majority, making approval likely given Republicans’ legislative margins once the regular session ends Thursday.
The push follows the Supreme Court’s recent narrowing of the Voting Rights Act, which has accelerated redistricting across the South, with Tennessee already enacting a new map and Louisiana expected to follow.
A revised South Carolina map would likely help Republicans preserve a 7-0 House delegation, though some GOP senators say that outcome is not guaranteed and Democrats are already recruiting candidates in the state.
McMaster is expected to announce the plan later Wednesday, but he cannot formally issue the call until adjournment Thursday and could still reverse course before then.
How will the state’s redistricting effort navigate new Supreme Court rules on voting rights and map-drawing?
Can South Carolina's map redraw avoid voter confusion with thousands of ballots already mailed for the June primary?