Governor Jim Hodges today vetoed the reapportionment plans for the South Carolina House of Representatives and Senate and the South Carolina congressional districts.

The Governor urged the General Assembly to make another attempt at adopting redistricting plans that respect communities of interest and other traditional districting principles. Rather than using race as the predominant factor, the General Assembly should have adhered to the concepts of the preservation of communities of interest and the cores of existing districts, avoidance of political and racial discrimination and polarization, and the minimization of the division of municipalities, counties, and voting precincts.

In his message, the Governor reiterated his belief that redistricting plans should reflect the state's diversity and contain districts that look like South Carolina. "This effort to polarize and divide our electorate along racial lines is both unlawful under federal law and profoundly wrong as a matter of public policy," Hodges explained in his veto message.

"We can do better." Governor Hodges also pointed out that South Carolina's population has remained constant at almost 30 percent African American over the last decade. Most South Carolina cities and counties have African American voting-age populations of more than 25 percent, but proposed House and Senate redistricting plans reduce the number of districts in which minorities might influence an election's outcome.

"I am particularly troubled by the dramatic reduction in the number of legislative districts between 25 percent and 50 percent African American," Hodges wrote. The Governor's veto message listed 10 current "influence districts" in the House and five in the Senate targeted by map drawers for reduction of minority voting influence.

Of the proposed plan to redraw the lines for the state's six congressional districts, Govenor Hodges noted that the legislature's plan unnecessarily splits several counties. An alternative plan rejected by the General Assembly kept Calhoun, Orangeburg and Georgetown counties whole. The legislature's plan divides these counties.

The legislature reconvenes Tuesday, September 4, 2001 to consider the veto.