South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster pushes hurricane readiness, calls redistricting session

Governor Henry McMaster met with the South Carolina Emergency Management Division, the Department of Transportation, the Department of Public Safety and local officials at the Dorchester County Emergency Operations Center to review hurricane‑season preparedness. He highlighted the state’s annual Hurricane Prep Expo, scheduled for June 6, 2026 at Ashley River Park in Summerville, and urged residents to check evacuation zones and develop a personal preparedness plan.

The governor also issued an executive order calling the General Assembly into a special legislative session beginning May 15, 2026 to redraw South Carolina’s congressional map. The session follows a U.S. Supreme Court ruling that racial gerrymandering provisions of the Voting Rights Act are unconstitutional and a recent failed redistricting vote that was blocked by a small group of Republican senators. The new session will require only a simple majority to approve the new map. "I have issued an Executive Order calling the General Assembly back for an extra legislative session to address the state budget and congressional districts," McMaster said on X.

These actions address both immediate disaster preparedness and the upcoming 2026 midterm‑election redistricting landscape in South Carolina.