Wait—What Is Happening With the SC Redistricting Bill?

You would not be blamed for feeling a bit of confusion/whiplash, if you are like me, and have been trying to follow the latest on the social media superhighway on Republicans in the South Carolina state Legislature battling to make changes to the state's congressional districts. Especially on a Memorial Day weekend.

To catch everyone up, my colleague at sister sister Townhall, Matt Vespa, conveniently wrote this on Friday:

South Carolina Republicans are playing a dangerous game. They know Donald Trump can ruin their day. They saw what his team did to the anti-redistricting Republicans in Indiana, right? Gov. Henry McMaster

 

called this special session to pass this new map. We have panican, procedural weenies trying to gum up the works. It doesn’t help that Shane Massey, the State Senate majority leader,

 

is against this push. 

...

Regardless, the State House approved it, the South Carolina State Senate Judiciary Committee authorized it, and now it’s up to the Senate to pass it. It failed a key motion vote today, where essentially their version of the 60-vote threshold, Rule 15b on cloture, was rejected by these traitors. 

Vespa noted that early voting in SC begins on May 26, so there's a ticking clock on getting this fixed.

Up In the air, then, on Saturday are questions for people looking in on X... like: Did they pass the bill? Did Republicans gain a district? What about that state Senate majority leader Massey, who seems hell-bent on gumming up the whole deal by opposing it? 

Justin Evans of political consulting firm Big Dog Strategies 

 

wrote in an X post on Saturday that he also was hearing "a lot of noise" about the redistricting moves. His clarifying explanation is article-length, readers, but it's straight-forward and worth the read, I think:

He wrote:

Because there’s a lot of noise about SC redistricting and what happened today, let me clarify.

Today’s vote was second reading, the consequential one, where the real fight happens. But it isn’t the finish line.

The bill still needs third reading. After the procedural time allotted for speeches, amendments, and debate (redistricting bills are treated differently under the rules), the Senate takes a final vote to give it third reading. As long as it stays unamended, it then goes straight to the Governor for signature. No trip back to the House.

Earliest the Governor could receive it is sometime Wednesday, assuming no procedural hiccups and assuming every senator who supports redistricting keeps showing up and voting, every single day.

That last part matters more than anything. Attendance is crucial. These votes are won and lost by who’s in the chamber. One empty seat, one amendment that forces it back across the building, and the timeline slips.

We are close. Keep it clean. Keep showing up.

Pass the bill.

Indeed, pass it! I read this post's contents as good news for Republicans, Certainly, things are in a better place than they were just a day ago.

The coming days will tell the tale, and we'll bring you updates as we learn of them. Hang tight, Palmetto State!

Update [6:15 AM Eastern, 5/24/26]: For anyone wondering, the bill is called H. 5683. You can read the text of H. 5683 here. 

Thank you to the 27 South Carolina Senate Republicans who stood strong today and advanced the redistricting bill to third reading — a major step toward getting this done for the people of South Carolina. 

Our voters deserve fair representation that reflects our conservative values and supports President @realDonaldTrump’s America First Agenda. Let’s finish the job and get this bill to Gov. @henrymcmaster’s desk.

And The Greenville News reports that Tuesday could be when this gets done:

"[T]he vote [on the second reading] passed 27-17. At Massey's request, the Senate will reconvene at 11 a.m. on Tuesday, May 26, the first day of early voting.