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Today, the Legal Defense Fund, the South Carolina NAACP, and the ACLU of South Carolina sent a letter to the North Charleston, South Carolina City Council regarding the redistricting process and their obligations under the Voting Rights Act and U.S. Constitution. The letter encourages the North Charleston City Council (“City Council”) to create meaningful opportunities to ensure that all residents’ voices are heard and meaningfully included at all stages of the redistricting process. Before adopting a new map, the City Council must share any proposed maps it is considering on its website with shapefiles and/or block equivalency files, and it must do so with adequate time to allow members of the public to assess and review the proposed maps. The City Council should also hold several public hearings to hear from members of the public with regard to proposed maps. Given the number of Spanish-speaking voters in North Charleston, we also strongly encourage the City Council to make notices, information about public hearings, and other information about the redistricting process available in Spanish, and to make interpreters available during the public hearings. 

Read the full letter here.

LDF has been closely monitoring the redistricting processes in South Carolina and other key states to prevent discriminatory redistricting plans and ensure that legislatures comply with their obligations under the Voting Rights Act and the U.S. Constitution. Read more about LDF’s redistricting work here.

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Founded in 1940, the Legal Defense Fund (LDF) is the nation’s first civil rights law organization. LDF’s Thurgood Marshall Institute is a multi-disciplinary and collaborative hub within LDF that launches targeted campaigns and undertakes innovative research to shape the civil rights narrative. In media attributions, please refer to us as the Legal Defense Fund or LDF. Please note that LDF has been completely separate from the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) since 1957—although LDF was originally founded by the NAACP and shares its commitment to equal rights.

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