Redistricting Plan

This proposed plan for South Carolina’s Congressional districts based on 2020 Census data seeks to maximize the Black voting age population’s opportunity to elect candidates of their choice. Following the 2020 Census, South Carolina continues to be entitled to seven Congressional districts. Since it is mathematically impossible to draw two majority Black districts, this plan consists of one majority Black district (50.53% BVAP) and one plurality Black district (45% BVAP) that includes White Democrats who cross over to support the plurality’s preferred candidate. One significant tradeoff of the plan is that its districts are not compact. Such a plan is particularly vulnerable to Shaw v. Reno-type Equal Protection challenges, given that the conscious use of race is necessary to produce the plurality Black district. Given those challenges, this map merely serves as a proof of concept rather than an operational scheme for implementation.