SC redistricting plan will not pass before early voting

“We would like the courts to know that people cherish their right to vote,” Senate Minority Leader Brad Hutto, D-Orangeburg, told reporters. “They were given the right to vote early, and if they go out and vote early, their votes should count.”

There were other flaws with the maps themselves, including new revelations via Massey on Saturday that the maps drafted by the National Republican Redistricting Trust, the national think tank that drew the lines, included numerous voting precincts that no longer existed.

“It’s further evidence that this has been rushed with no opportunity to really look at what we’re being asked to vote on,” Massey told reporters later.

Adam Kincaid, the national consultant who drew the maps, disputed Massey’s claims.

“Sen. Massey is mistaken,” Kincaid wrote in an emailed statement. “The bill text refers to the 2020 Census geography — census blocks, census VTDs (voting tabulation districts), and counties — not precincts. Precincts change all the time. VTDs remain constant through the decade.”

Will Republicans go through with it?

Facing an inevitable legal challenge, redistricting opponents say any attempt to redraw maps after early voting has started would amount to little more than an exercise in futility that could lead to millions of wasted dollars and widespread voter confusion.

State Sen. Ed Sutton, a Charleston Democrat, touted estimates new maps could cost the state as much as $10 million between the cost of holding a new election and defending them in court, while misinformation about the process has already created significant confusion about the elections on social media. A prolonged court case could only add to that confusion, Massey told reporters.

“It’s just not realistic for a court to make a decision of this magnitude that quickly,” Massey said.

With a lawsuit imminent, Hutto suggested the best move might be to pull the plug.