Fighting For a Fair Map in South Carolina (League of Women Voters of South Carolina v. Alexander)
At a Glance
Campaign Legal Center is urging the South Carolina Supreme Court to strike down the state’s current congressional map and rule that extreme partisan gerrymandering violates the South Carolina Constitution.
Back to topAbout this Case
In 2024, the League of Women Voters of South Carolina (LWVSC) filed a lawsuit in the South Carolina Supreme Court arguing that the congressional map passed by the state Legislature is an unlawful partisan gerrymander and violates the South Carolina Constitution. Legislators previously admitted that the map was drawn for partisan reasons. LWVSC argues that the state map “cracks” and “packs” voters based on partisanship to ensure control over elections for the rest of the decade.
CLC’s “Friend-of-the-Court" Brief
CLC submitted a “friend-of-the-court" brief that explains why partisan gerrymandering violates the state’s Free Elections Clause and why the South Carolina Supreme Court has the authority and the obligation to review this case and uphold South Carolinians’ constitutional rights.
Among other provisions, the South Carolina Constitution contains a Free Elections Clause, which provides a standard to evaluate whether a map is an impermissible partisan gerrymander. The constitutional guarantee that “[a]ll elections shall be free and open” and all citizens of the state “shall have an equal right to elect officers” is undermined when politicians manipulate district lines, pre-determine election results, and insulate themselves from voters.
The South Carolina Supreme Court has the ability to give power back to the voters, as the state constitution requires. The Court can and should step in to block these extreme partisan gerrymanders, so that South Carolinians can vote under fair maps and make their voices heard.