In 2026 Democrats were excited about having a candidate running in every state legislative race. In recent cycles, the Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee and state parties have made historic investments to flood the ballot. Leaving fewer seats uncontested allows the party to build long-term infrastructure, mobilize voters up and down the ballot, and force Republicans to defend every district.
The reality is none of those strategies cure the bane of gerrymandering.
A recent Economist/YouGOV poll says opposition to partisan map-drawing is broadly bipartisan, though Democrats typically hold the strongest objections:
Democrats: 74% to 83% oppose partisan gerrymandering.
Independents: 70% to 76% oppose it.
Republicans: 57% to 69% oppose intentional, partisan redistricting.
When the white-only Democratic Party crafted the state’s present Constitution in 1895, it ended Black political participation through violence and intimidation until 1970. By 2002, racial gerrymandering, accompanied by white voters and politicians switching parties, resulted in white, Republican control of the House, Senate and Governor’s Office. South Carolina has been ruled by this white trifecta for 24 years.
And in 2026…..
Republicans increased participation in the primary election by 26% over 2024.
Democrats increased participation in the primary election by 36% over 2024.
A full three-fourths of registered voters did not participation in the 2026 primary election.
More than four million SC residents of voting age allowed one-fifth of their neighbors to choose which candidates will appear on November’s general election ballot.
In 2024 close to half of all non-white voters only had a white Republican to vote for, and those candidates had no viable competition.
A little more than a quarter of non-white voters only could vote for a Democrat who had no viable competition.
Less than one third of non-white voters had a viable contest in which to cast their ballots.
Take a look at these two maps of our state depicting what areas did and did not have viably competitive races in 2024.
A current candidate financing summary is available here.
And here’s a summary by races.
The sad reality is that while there are laws governing campaign finance in South Carolina, the State Republican Party has chosen not to file finance reports since 2018 as required.
A Pew Research survey of U.S. adults in July 2023 revealed the dismal view they held about the nation’s politics:
The disclosure of political spending has become a hot button issue as many of those seeking to buy influence and sway election results with million dollar checks would prefer to do it anonymously. The individuals and corporations writing the checks know they’re doing it and so do the politicians that benefit. Only the public is left in the dark in this equation and that is a serious threat to our democracy.
Most recently (June 30, 2026), the Supreme Court, by a vote of 6-3, struck down a federal law that limited the amount of money that political parties can spend in coordination with a candidate for office. In her dissent, Justice Kagan argued that the court’s ruling “ushers in the same opportunities for quid pro quo corruption that the contribution limits were meant to check.” “As a result,” she wrote, “a donor will be able to give a party as much as half a million dollars (as compared to the $7,000 he can give directly to the candidate) to cover the candidate’s bills. And the candidate can seek just such a donation.”
There are many other constraints in South Carolina to achieving a representative democracy. The Leadership Now Project gives our state a “D” overall and observes that there is also some risk for election interference.
The Movement Advancement Project has a similarly bleak report card about South Carolina’s elections policies.
Ready for some homework?
DEEPER DIVE:
1. The Campaign Legal Center has put together a primer to help you understand why finance disclosure is important to elections.
2. Deeper Dive: Understanding the constraints to democratic participation is critical for assessing modern democratic health. To explore ongoing political research and citizen initiatives, visit resources like the Pew Research Center for polling on political systems, or review the Inter-Parliamentary Union for data on global parliamentary engagement and challenges.