Author Archives: Matthew Saltzman, Ph.D.

On Tuesday, October 13, the Supreme Court ruled that the Trump administration could end the door-to-door counting phase of the census on October 15, two weeks earlier than originally planned. The administration had originally extended the deadline for counting from the end of July to the end of October in response to the pandemic. Later,Continue reading “Supreme Court permits early end to census count”

South Carolina has long had a requirement for mail-in absentee ballots that the ballot envelope be signed by the voter and by a witness. For the June primary, a federal judge struck down the witness requirement on the grounds that during the pandemic emergency, the requirement would place some voters in danger. The state electionContinue reading “Witness Signature Whiplash”

The SC legislature convened this month and among other actions being considered, they passed a bill that includes an expansion of the absentee voting criteria. As in the June primary, any voter can request an absentee ballot or vote early in person for the November, 2020 election without specifying one of the usual 17 permittedContinue reading “Governor Signs Absentee Voting Expansion”

[Guest post from Lynn Teague, LWVSC VP for Issues and Action] No one should have to risk their health in order to vote. However, if nothing changes, that is what will be asked of the majority of voters in South Carolina on November 3. Current law requires most voters and the workers who assist themContinue reading “Your Health and Your Vote”

Since the process got underway, the Trump administration has tried to influence the conduct of the census in ways that appear designed to influence who gets counted, and hence, who gets more voting power under new district maps and more of the federal funds that are distributed based on census figures. Scroll back through theContinue reading “Disturbing Census Developments“

Since the COVID-19 emergency began in March, there hasn’t been much redistricting news in South Carolina. There wasn’t much movement on our House bill or any of the Senate bills following last February’s League Lobby Day. With the emergence of the virus, legislative action was significantly curtailed, and there is no expectation that those billsContinue reading “We’re Back. Did Y’all Know There’s An Election Coming Up?”

This week marks the 100th anniversary of the founding of the League of Women Voters. To commemorate the League’s creation, members of the South Carolina League will meet at the SC State House in Columbia on Wednesday, February 12 to lobby our senators and representatives in support of redistricting reform. Space is limited due toContinue reading “LWVSC Lobby Day: LWV Centennial and Redistricting Reform, February 12, 2020”

[The following post is adapted from an article in the South Carolina Voter by Shayna Howell, Co-chair of the LWVSC Redistricting Working Group.] Waiting for the Supreme Court’s decision on gerrymandering in Rucho v Common Cause (a case in which LWV was a co-plaintiff), many of us were crossing our fingers, but we were notContinue reading “LWV Taking Action on Gerrymandering”

When the Supreme Court ruled last summer that political gerrymandering was not justiciable in federal court, Chief Justice Roberts proposed four alternative routes for pursuing fair maps: Voter initiatives State legislatures Congress State courts The state court route was pursued in 2018 in Pennsylvania and, more recently, this past summer in North Carolina. In Pennsylvania,Continue reading “Gerrymandering: State Court Review?”

When the Supreme Court decided that partisan gerrymandering was non-justiciable in federal courts, Chief Justice Roberts proposed state courts as a possible remedy in some circumstances. The North Carolina judiciary is proving to be a model for implementing this remedy. We’ve been following the state court’s interventions regarding state legislative maps, and this week, theContinue reading “North Carolina Is an Endless Source of Entertainment for Redistricting Mavens”