Daniel Prince
They hope to finish the process before nonpartisan filing begins
Just like the county, Union City Council district lines will have to be redrawn following the recent results of the 2020 US Census. The city does have more time than the county did to get the redistricting map approved, as the filing date for nonpartisan races opens July 15. Adam DeMars from the South Carolina Office of Revenue and Fiscal Affairs appeared remotely during last week’s Union City Council meeting to brief council members on the process, the current demographics of the district, and what changes will need to be looked at in the redistricting process.
The process comes about every ten years as a result of the US Census. The basic rules of redistricting are to keep districts relatively equal in population, adhering to the 14th Amendment’s principle of one person, one vote. Race is a factor in redistricting but cannot be the predominant factor. Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act states that if a district has more than 50% black population, that district should be kept intact as much as possible. Districts must be drawn contiguously and not have parts separated by other districts. Splitting of voting precincts is to be minimized as much as possible. Districts must be as geographically compact as possible. According to the 2020 Census, the city’s population declined from 8390 to 8174, so the ideal district size in the City of Union is smaller, at 1362. Districts drawn with a population within 2.5% of that figure are permissible. Currently, districts 1-4 are significantly over or under the population goal. Districts one and two are under the ideal size by 16.8%-27.6%. Districts 3 and 4 are over the ideal size by 16.8% to 26%. Districts 1,2,3, and 5 are majority black districts, and that majority will need to be kept intact.
City Council indicated they wanted the Revenue and Fiscal Affairs Office to conduct the redistricting for them and present the proposed map for approval later. Before the process is complete, Union City Council needs to adopt a resolution to abide by the outline process the Office of Revenue and Fiscal Affairs has provided. Council members will need to identify areas of interest to keep intact within their districts, and also get feedback from individual citizens who may have an interest in staying within their districts. The ordinance will undergo two readings, and they hope to have the process complete with the ordinance adopted by the June meeting.