Bamberg, South Carolina (February 2022) – On December 6, 2021, Bamberg County Council unanimously approved third and final reading of an ordinance approving the 2021 redistricting plan. The first county in South Carolina to complete the once-a-decade redrawing of electoral district boundaries.
The process of redistricting includes redrawing the lines of districts from which public officials are elected to match population changes from the previous decade following the census count. It’s the law.
From November 1 through December 6, the County held public meetings with advertised notices in the local newspapers and social media outlets complete with the proposed map of its seven County Council districts and a detailed population summary.
"We are confident the plan complies with the constitutional requirement of one person, one vote,” said Joey Preston, Bamberg County Administrator. "The adopted redistricting plan adhered to the 1965 Voting Rights Act. Under that act, the county has to work toward a plan with no voter dilution, or reduction in the voting strength of a racial or ethnic group."
The individual district populations were: District 1 - 1, 899; District 2 – 1,871; District 3 – 1,837; District 4 – 1,950; District 5 – 1,908; District 6 – 1,862 and District 7 – 1,984.
Other changes included:
District 4, moves while remaining anchored in the Denmark area, grows toward Bamberg.
The Town of Olar is entirely in District 7.
Districts 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6 remain majority-minority districts.
Districts 5 and 6 remain anchored in the Denmark area and Govan remains in District 6.
Next steps
The Bamberg County’s Board of Voter Registration and Elections will take necessary actions to inform voters of the changes.
Filing dates for the next County Council election (March 2022 for the June 2022 Primary, followed by the November 2022 General Election) can be found here: https://www.scvotes.gov/election-calendar
To review the newly adopted maps, go to https://www.bambergcountysc.gov/Data/Sites/1/media/bamberg-county-2020-redistricting-map.pdf
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For more information on this press release, email info@bambergcounty.sc.gov.