Anderson County has received approval from the United States Department of Justice (DOJ) for the County’s recently submitted redistricting plan. District lines are reviewed every 10 years to make sure voting districts accurately reflect the population dispersion. The 2010 Census figures show Anderson County has a population of 187,126, with significant growth taking place in the Powdersville and Piedmont communities.
Steve Newton, Anderson County’s grant writer was tasked with reviewing the district lines and making any needed modifications. Newton states, “Taking into account that Anderson County has seven council districts, the current population was equally divided into approximately 26,732 residents. DOJ rules state that no district can be more than 5 % larger or smaller than that ideal number.”
Before voting to send the redistricting plan to the Department of Justice, the County held two public hearings in October 2011. Under the approved redistricting, voters in the District 6 White Plains precinct have new council representation. District 7 will now take in White Plains voters bound by I85, S.C. 29 and S.C. 8. The remaining voters in White Plains will migrate to District 4. District 2 was redrawn to ensure that 53.1 % of residents are minority in order to comply with the 1965 Federal Voting Rights Act. Additionally, all seven council districts had some modifications in order to balance the population percentages.
“We are proud that our redistricting proposal was approved by the Department of Justice,” said Anderson County Council Chairman Tom Allen. “On behalf of Council, I want to especially thank Mr. Steve Newton for his efforts in this endeavor. He efficiently navigated the mountains of rules and restrictions to put together a proposal that was accepted by the DOJ.”
The revised district maps are available at all Anderson County Libraries, the Historic Courthouse in Downtown Anderson, Belton City Hall and online at: http://www.andersoncountysc.org/web/Admin/Documents/Council/Redistricting/Redistricting_Proposal_09062011
