South Carolina Governor Calls Special Session on Congressional Maps

South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster is expected to call a special session of the state legislature Thursday afternoon to consider redrawing the state's congressional map. Two state sources familiar with the planning told outlets the session would begin after the legislature adjourns its regular session the same day.

A procedural move to advance redistricting in the state Senate failed on Tuesday when enough Republican holdouts blocked it. A new bill in a special session would require only a simple majority.

State Sen. Tom Davis said in a statement Wednesday that the current maps are legally sound, the state's electoral position is strong, and the proposed process is constitutionally and practically indefensible. The governor urged the legislature after Tuesday's vote to finish its work according to the U.S. and South Carolina constitutions and the best interests of the people.

Republicans in the state are expected to advance a map that would alter the district held by a powerful Democrat. State primaries are currently set for June 9, although a separate bill under consideration would shift them to August.

The moves follow a Supreme Court ruling last month that narrowed application of Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act in Louisiana's 2021 congressional map. The court determined that the map leaned too heavily on race when drawing boundaries. The decision came days before early voting was scheduled to begin in Louisiana, where 45,000 ballots had already been returned.

In response, Louisiana's Republican governor suspended House primaries and called a special session to redraw the map. The state's Senate advanced a new version on Wednesday.

Alabama's Republican governor earlier this week rescheduled primaries in three congressional districts after the Supreme Court order halted a prior judicial ruling that had required the state to maintain two majority-Black districts until 2030. The primaries in those districts had been scheduled for May 19.

Any map approved in South Carolina during the special session would take effect for the upcoming primaries, whenever they are ultimately scheduled. The governor's expected call for the session on Thursday would tee up a direct vote on the new boundaries.