Richland County Council held a Public Hearing on the issue of the redistricting process in Richland County. All County Council members were present.
The Redistricting Ordinance reads as follows, “An Ordinance establishing new electoral districts for the election of members of Richland County Council pursuant to the United States Census of 2020 and in compliance with Section 4-9-90 of the South Carolina Code of Laws, 1976, as amended.” Chair Overture Walker explained that the Public Hearing is planned for the Richland County Council to receive feedback and input from the public on the redistricting maps that have been drawn and released to the public. The final vote on the new maps of Richland County districts will take place on February 8, 2022.
There were eight people who addressed the council during the public hearing. Two residents of the South Kilbourne neighborhood expressed concerns about a section of South Kilbourne being moved from District Five to District Ten. They both said a strong working relationship has been developed with the council member representing District Five. The council member representing District Ten already has a large district to lead, and they would lose the benefits of working with their current representative.
A representative of Olympia Village also requested their neighborhood be included in District Five and not District Ten, since a large-more rural-district does not currently address the more urban needs of the Olympia Village area.
A representative of the Columbia Branch of the NAACP asked council to adopt the suggested maps drawn by the NAACP which address the concerns of districts drawn with a high majority “densely packed” black population. The representative also stated the new maps drawn by Richland County have 42 of 149 precincts split. The map offered by the NAACP for consideration has only six precincts split.
Another citizen expressed concern that the redistricting process often protects incumbency, and voters do not have a choice in new candidates in elections because often incumbents run unopposed.
Walker stated, “We are listening in earnest, and we will take your comments and give them serious consideration as we make decisions about the redistricting process between now and the final reading, which will take place on February 8.”
To learn more about Richland County’s Redistricting Process, visit www.richlandcountysc.gov/Government/County-Council/County-Council-Districts.
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