Rep. Myers: House Chamber Locked as Democrats Force Full Reading of South Carolina Redistricting Bill
- CUBNSC
- 23 minutes ago
- 2 min read
CUBNSC BREAKING NEWS
South Carolina Statehouse
Democrats in the South Carolina House are putting up a sturdy fight tonight as debate over the South Carolina redistricting map intensifies.
Rep. Hamilton Grant went live with Rep. Keishan Scott and Dr. Jermaine Johnson, who had returned to the House from Florence. According to Grant, a House member invoked the rule requiring the redistricting bill to be read in its entirety, including the full map language. Grant said the bill runs more than 80 pages.
Representative Rosalyn Henderson-Myers, a Democrat from Spartanburg, initiated the procedural maneuver tied to South Carolina House Rule 3.9, which allows the Speaker to direct the Sergeant at Arms or other authorized law enforcement personnel to locate and return absent lawmakers to the chamber when necessary to maintain a quorum. Meanwhile, Upstate Republican and Freedom Caucus member Sarita Edgerton took to Facebook to weigh in on the escalating Statehouse showdown.
Grant said Rule 3.9 had been invoked, requiring the Sergeant at Arms, SLED, and law enforcement to track down House members who were absent without leave and return them to the State House. Scott added that taxpayers would not bear the financial burden, saying those members themselves would incur the cost.
At the same time, lawmakers demanded the entire redistricting bill be read aloud before proceedings could continue, a move expected to significantly slow debate and extend the session late into the night.
“If they’re gonna take away your right to vote, they're gonna earn it,” Representative Grant said during the livestream. “Democrats are fighting up to the very last minute. The police are about to go and get some folks and bring them back here.”
Scott said Republicans now have
“no choice but to listen to what they’re about to do”
as Democrats continued leveraging House procedure to stall movement on the map.
Dr. Jermaine Johnson also addressed viewers directly during the livestream:
“This is what y’all need to understand. The Democrats are fighting for you. We are fighting for you. We’re doing everything we can. We’re using the rules in every which way that we can to make sure this craziness does not happen here in South Carolina. So I want y’all to go ahead and thank all your Democrat representatives for fighting the good fight, for doing what they have to do, holding it down, and making sure that they don’t get this mess done here. So I guess we’re gonna be sleeping in here tonight.”
Grant urged members of the public to download the SC Legislature app or watch the proceedings live online.
CUBNSC will continue to track the South Carolina redistricting map debate in the House. Download the SC Legislature app to your phone or watch live online at scstatehouse.gov.