Greg Wilson/Anderson Observer
Anderson County Council will consider the initial draft of the redistricting map of county council seats at the new year’s first meeting Tuesday at 6 p.m. at the Anderson County Civic Center. The meeting was moved to allow for social distancing and masks are encouraged as the omicron variant cases are surging in the county
The new map is required by law in response to population changes reported in the 2020 United States Census.
A detailed, zoomable version of the map is here.
The first look at the voting redistricting map is only the first step in the process. Public comment and suggestions are to be considered, and a large version of the map will be made available at the historic Anderson County Courthouse for evaluation and copies of the map will also be displayed at other sites across the county, which should be announced later this week.
“We look forward to working through the evaluation and approval process,” said Anderson County Council Chairman Tommy Dunn. “All of us on council will work with the community to ensure the process yields an equitable result.”
Anderson County staff members are continuing to review the borders as shown in the map and is looking for ways to fine tune any areas that might need work to correct split precincts and improve overall cohesion. Council will vote on the map on three readings, and it is possible changes will be made before the final vote.
Any updates to the redistricting map will be posted on the county’s website.
The initial map does not propose changes for any municipality other than a portion of the City of Anderson, which includes portions of five county council districts.
The redistricting covers all seven county council districts and effects 14,805 citizens, roughly 7.3 percent of the county’s population.
Here are some highlights of the redistricting map:
District 1
Adds the entire Town Creek precinct and a portion of the North Pointe precinct currently in District 4
District 2
Adds large portions of the Lakeside and Varennes precincts currently in District 5
District 3
Ads portions of the Neal’s Creek precinct on the eastern side of Broadway Lake currently in District 2
District 4
Adds the southern portion of the Three and Twenty precinct currently in District 6
District 5
Adds portions of the Edgewood A (all that west of Clemson Blvd.) and Anderson Precinct 6, Ward 1 (Linley Park west of North Ave.) precincts currently in District 1
Adds a portion of the northern part of Mountain Creek precinct and a very small portion of the Flat Rock precinct from District 3
District 6
Gains no new territory
District 7
Gains portions of the White Plains precinct northeast of Highway 8, part of which is taken from District 4 and the rest from District 6.