South Carolina clears first hurdle on path to gerrymander, eliminate Black district [View all]

[In It to Win It]

https://www.democracydocket.com/news-alerts/south-carolina-clears-first-hurdle-on-path-to-gerrymander-eliminate-black-district/

South Carolina Republicans took a crucial step Wednesday toward redrawing the state’s congressional map in an effort that could dismantle the state’s lone Democratic district, long represented by Rep. Jim Clyburn.

In an 87-25 vote, the South Carolina House approved a sine die amendment allowing lawmakers to return after adjournment to take up congressional redistricting — clearing the first major procedural hurdle in a growing national push to redraw maps after the Supreme Court gutted key Voting Rights Act protections that had long shielded Black voting power from racial gerrymandering.

The move comes as GOP-led states across the South race to capitalize on the Supreme Court’s devastating ruling.

The measure now heads to the state Senate, where Republicans still need a two-thirds vote to move forward with redistricting. Though the GOP holds a supermajority in both chambers, only a handful of Republican defections could derail the effort.

🚨 BREAKING: South Carolina Republicans took a crucial step toward gerrymandering the state’s congressional map Wednesday, clearing the first hurdle in a post-Callais push that could dismantle the state’s lone Democratic district represented by Rep. Jim Clyburn.

— Democracy Docket (@democracydocket.com) 2026-05-06T23:31:15.921Z