Redistricting In South Carolina

A political map can look like harmless lines on paper right up until it changes who gets heard. We’re joined by South Carolina Representatives Robert Williams (House Seat 62) and Roger Kirby (House Seat 101) for a candid breakdown of the state’s mid decade redistricting fight and why the timing alone raises alarms for voters, candidates, and election officials. We talk through the gerrymandering debate, how Supreme Court decisions shape what lawmakers can do, and why the real-world impact lands on communities long before it reaches a courtroom.

We also get specific about the proposed changes to South Carolina’s congressional districts, including how the Sixth District tied to Congressman James Clyburn could shift north and pull in new counties across the Pee Dee region. The conversation goes beyond politics into process: maps that appear to be decided before public input, rule changes during debate that restrict amendments, and a Senate path full of procedural moves like cloture votes and potential extended debate. If you care about voting rights, election integrity, and government transparency, these details matter because they set the ground rules for everyone else.

Then we dig into the costs and consequences people feel locally: divided cities, fractured “communities of interest,” and the price tag of extra primaries and runoffs that counties may have to cover. We close with practical ways to stay engaged, why turnout is the ultimate counterweight to manipulation, and a Memorial Day reminder about the service behind the freedoms we often take for granted. If this conversation helps you see your ballot differently, subscribe, share it with a friend, and leave a review with one question you want answered next.

Transcript

Welcome And Why It Matters

SPEAKER_03 0:04

Hello everyone. Welcome to Native Drums. I'm Jocelia Williams. And this evening I have special guests with me from the South Carolina House of Representatives. We have Representative Robert Williams of House Seat 62 and Representative Roger Kirby of House Seat 101. Welcome, gentlemen, to Native Drums.

SPEAKER_06 0:26

Thank you. Thank you.

SPEAKER_03 0:28

Ah, yes, it's such a pleasure to have you here. And uh we uh I'm sure our viewers know why you are here. Because there is so much going on in our world, our world, and right here in our state, and you all are faced with it each and every day. Yes. So um just to open up this, the motivational piece, that's what we want to talk about.

What Drives Redistricting Now

SPEAKER_03 0:56

And so, Representative Kirby, what is the motivation that changed the direction of redistricting, what made it so imperative for at this time?

SPEAKER_06 1:07

So uh there are several things that went down. Uh number one, you know, the U.S. Supreme Court basically had a ruling that that that it was unconstitutional to racially gerrymander a district.

SPEAKER_04 1:24

Right.

SPEAKER_06 1:25

Um that was kind of the impetus, you know, what's really going on in the back burner is that uh President Trump is afraid that he's going to lose his majority in Congress. So you're seeing these redistricting efforts all across the Southeast. And you know, this is a whole lot of disruption and chaos to try to unseat the third most powerful congressman in the United States Congressman, our Congressman, James Clyburn. So the reality of it is that's the real impetus of it. Though some people say, oh no, we're doing it because we can't racially gerrymander a district. Well, the Supreme Court ruled, what, two and a half years ago, Robert, that that Congressman Clyburn's seat was not a racial gerrymander. So it you can't have it both ways. Right. It either is or it isn't. So is the Supreme Court wrong now or were they wrong then? But this is really not about that. This is really about getting another Republican seat to send to Washington to try to protect the Republican majority in Congress.

SPEAKER_03 2:49

My goodness, my goodness. I think we sort of halfway knew it was something of that nature, but you have just really brought it to the forefront. Yeah. Representative Williams.

SPEAKER_00 3:01

Well, well, well, just to add on to what um uh Representative Kirby mentioned just now, uh the decision that the Supreme Court made, it turned back the hand of history.

SPEAKER_02 3:14

Yes.

SPEAKER_00 3:15

Ever since 1965, we've been living with, and and we thought the Supreme Court um um initially had bring about um laws that to protect folks.

SPEAKER_04 3:29

Right.

SPEAKER_00 3:30

But what they done was they took away those protections under the law. That's right. They took away uh racial protection that we once had in play because of the civil rights, as you know.

SPEAKER_04 3:43

Of course.

SPEAKER_00 3:44

Because, you know, we were being discriminated against. So when they took those barriers away in the law, saying that, you know, we are discriminating against them. So so now we don't have any guardrails. There's no guardrails now. So now all the southern states, all the southern states, the red states, right, they're going in and doing what uh Representative Kirby just mentioned, but they're diluting the votes by doing that. What they're doing is causing division amongst us.

SPEAKER_04 4:23

Right.

SPEAKER_00 4:24

They're trying to bide us. And so when you, you know, for for example, for for the sixth congressional district, you know, they're they're putting it in this area because see, right now, we're in the 7th Congressional, as you know.

SPEAKER_04 4:40

Right.

SPEAKER_00 4:40

I think you're in the 6th, right? I'm in the 6th, I've always been in the 6th. So now we're in the 7th.

SPEAKER_04 4:45

Right.

SPEAKER_00 4:46

So the 6th will be a part of our district now, based on the map, based on the new map. So so it's it's a process of uh making South Carolina congressional districts all red. Yep. All red. And and you know, we got 6-1 now, but it'll be 7-0. All red in the in in South Carolina.

SPEAKER_03 5:08

So what are those um areas that they're trying to change that there'll be six districts, those counties?

SPEAKER_06 5:16

They're it's across statewide. Yeah. Every district in the whole state is being redrawn.

SPEAKER_03 5:22

Right, but when it comes to the sixth district, the one that James Cliburn is uh representative for, what are those counties that they

How The Sixth District Moves

SPEAKER_03 5:30

are including in that in when they're drawing that map?

SPEAKER_06 5:33

So the new sixth, they let's go back. I think this is an important point, too. That map that we're dealing with was drawn in Washington, D.C. Yes by the Republican Trust. Right, right. Some kind of Republican trust or something. I mean, it wasn't even drawn by South Carolinians. Oh my. It wasn't drawn by anybody elected in South Carolina. They sent us a map and said, Hey, this is the map, y'all do it. Make it happen. Uh-oh.

SPEAKER_00 6:07

That's basically how it went down when they're rubbed. Exactly. That exactly the way it went down. And not only they did that, then they opened up our map room after their map has already been drawn.

SPEAKER_06 6:18

Yep.

SPEAKER_00 6:19

So why why open up our map room when you already got a map? So so what they're trying was trying to do is cover up saying that, hey, we opened up the map room, they could go in and draw the maps through any way they want, but we already got they already had a map. Yep.

SPEAKER_06 6:35

And that's the one that's that's the one you prove your point. There were several maps that were put up. Vote.

SPEAKER_03 6:42

Right.

SPEAKER_06 6:42

None of them passed in a problem. No, no.

SPEAKER_03 6:45

Because they knew which one they wanted to.

SPEAKER_06 6:46

Oh, yeah. Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 6:47

But so that map, what does that map include? What does it say? What are the counties?

SPEAKER_06 6:53

So in Congressman, the old sixth, um the the new sixth is not even in can is not even in Jim Clavern's home. Right. Okay. It's moved north, and it'll include pretty much all of the PD, exactly, except for Orion, Georgetown. Exactly.

SPEAKER_00 7:13

Okay, it doesn't include Orion, Georgetown. I mean, Ori out of it. Yeah. And it kind of actually it moves from all the way up to Kershaw.

SPEAKER_06 7:22

Kershaw, Lancaster, and a little bit of York County.

SPEAKER_00 7:25

Yeah.

SPEAKER_06 7:26

So the district runs from the bottom of Williamsburg County. Williamsburg, uh, Clarendon, Marion, Dillon, Marlborough, Darlington, Florence, Kershaw. Chesterfield. Chesterfield, Kershaw, Lancaster, and a little bit of York.

SPEAKER_03 7:46

A little bit of York.

SPEAKER_06 7:47

So think about that. That's Rock Hill.

SPEAKER_03 7:49

Yeah, that's all about the.

SPEAKER_06 7:50

So Rock Hill down to the south end of uh Williamsburg. Yeah. Yeah.

SPEAKER_05 7:56

That's a that's Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 7:58

And and see, uh Congressman Cliberman had none of those districts. And all those districts, all that was part of the PD, the 7th Congressional. Yeah. Matter of fact, I don't know if you remember um Spratt, John Spratt used to have uh, he used to be over the congressional number five when when the wave came through and and threw him out of office. So now, and that threw us into the 7th Congressional District. Right. You know, so we were in the 7th Congressional District. And we changed, and the thing about it, um, Ms. Williams, is that we do this every 10 years.

SPEAKER_03 8:33

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 8:33

After the century, based on the difference. But we're doing this now in the middle. This is 10 years is not up. We got four more years before we should be doing this.

SPEAKER_06 8:44

And not only that, four years from now we gotta do it again. Do it again.

SPEAKER_03 8:47

Do it again. So I can remember um growing up, we were in the 6th district. Florence was. Back in the day. Yeah, back in the day, during John Jim Red and Robin Talon and all the time. I remember the sixth district. And I think Clauburn may have been in the 6th district for a little while. He was for a little while, because I can remember my children were small. And um that's been a good while back. It has because my baby was in the first or second grade. She read a lot of books. Yeah, and he um, Congressman Clavern wrote her a letter and did you know all the the nice things for children who had done. And um, we were sixth district then.

SPEAKER_00 9:24

Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_03 9:25

But uh so he says he's going to run again. So let me ask you this. You think this is gonna possibly backfire on on um the Republicans?

SPEAKER_06 9:37

You know, it it it could. Um there's it listen, the most the only way to answer that is to say everybody's gotta vote. Yeah, that's what you know the crazy thing is South Carolina is a depending on what year you look at, it's 52, 53 percent Republican, 45, 46, 47 percent Democrat. But guess what? There's a whole third of the population that doesn't even vote. So it I mean, with if people voted, we could change the dynamics of all of these maps, the way they're drawn now.

SPEAKER_04 10:23

Right.

SPEAKER_06 10:24

I mean, what would happen if we went in and everybody turned out and we ended up winning three of these of these seven seats because of this? Right. That would be incredible. It would be, but that's up to all of us to to say, hey, now's the time.

SPEAKER_03 10:41

Now's the time to do it. Now's the time to do it.

SPEAKER_00 10:43

I think there's gonna be some repercussion around this. I think that, you know, what they're thinking, I don't think it's gonna really happen. I don't want it to happen, but certainly I I I feel that because of the fact they're putting so much effort in it, you know, when you try to work so hard to get something done, and all of a sudden it's in the opposite direction. Yes.

SPEAKER_02 11:08

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 11:09

So that's that's what we're that's what we're hoping for because they they putting everything out there to make sure that this gets done this way.

SPEAKER_04 11:17

Right.

SPEAKER_00 11:18

Yeah. So so precise. They're pushing it. They're pushing it. And my thing is with my Republican friends is that they just follow along. Right. They just follow along. They're tail wagging the dog.

SPEAKER_05 11:35

The dog ain't the dog ain't wagging the tail. Oh my goodness. No, it's crazy. Now that's messed up.

SPEAKER_00 11:43

It's messed up.

SPEAKER_05 11:46

Oh wow, you almost made me forget my name's.

Senate Maneuvers And Rule Changes

SPEAKER_03 11:50

But um, the Senate, what is the Senate doing now um in reference to because I know it's their turn.

SPEAKER_06 11:57

So they had today, this afternoon, uh, they so the Senate Republicans have got a lot of amendments lined up. And if the the Republicans don't sit, don't invoke cloture or limitation on debate, um the there's a strong possibility that that our Democratic colleagues in the Senate can basically filibuster their way all the way to to get this thing to Tuesday. Because Tuesday, remember, right, is the opening of early voting.

SPEAKER_04 12:34

That's right.

SPEAKER_06 12:34

And there's a lot of thought that if this thing's not done by Tuesday, that there could be some real constitutional questions, you know, about whether or not this is a constitutional act or not. Um, so there was a vote this afternoon to cloture, and there were six Republican senators who voted against cloture. So a cloture vote is a what we call a supermajority vote. It requires two-thirds of the members, and they didn't make it. So, which means that I'm sure they'll do another one tomorrow, but as of right now, cloture has not been invoked. So when they go back in tomorrow, they'll be debating the bill. Okay. Um, there was a map amendment, I think, that that was brought today. Again, somebody drew another map. Oh my goodness. And they brought it to the Senate's floor, it did not pass. So we're back to the original map that the House sent, the original, which is the original map that Trump sent down here for us to pass. Yeah. Just that's the full circle of it.

SPEAKER_00 13:44

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 13:44

Wow.

SPEAKER_00 13:45

And also, just to add on to that, is that in the House, what happened was they rule change while we're in the process. So, in other words, in the middle of the screen, they're coming up with new rules. Oh, yeah. And just like we're playing chess, right? Yeah. And you decided that for your man to move to the left and to the right, you know, you instead of following the rules or following what is written, they're changing the rules in the middle of the game. In the middle of the game. So now we're pending with a lawsuit that that that question the fact why are you changing the rules in the middle of the game.

SPEAKER_04 14:27

Right.

SPEAKER_00 14:28

Now, if they have if they had to come to us initially and say, look, these are the rules. These are these are set forth. You know, we're gonna give everybody one amendment, everybody's gonna have to deal with one amendment, you know, instead of, you know, because traditionally we put as many amendments on the floor as we want to. You know, there's no certain amount, we'll just put them up there and and and talk about it.

SPEAKER_02 14:49

Right.

SPEAKER_00 14:50

But it but they felt that it was taking too long. We were slowing down the process. So they ended up coming up with a new rule in the middle of the game, which eliminated all the all the amendments that we had on the desk.

SPEAKER_04 15:07

Right.

SPEAKER_00 15:07

We had, you know, and and that threw all that out. They gave us one amendment per person, and and and and Representative Kirby has been a champion in making sure we all got amendments to talk about and to and go to the podium and explain. So I just want to commend him because he's um in leadership and he kind of kind of you know he's about like the shepherd in in I'm a cat herder. Yeah. Well he's learning these cats, man. It's hard to get up uh. Yeah, so so now we are pending with a lawsuit um that we're gonna have to deal with. Right. Yeah. But it's the lawsuit for the Republicans.

SPEAKER_03 15:58

Oh, you will have a whole lot to deal with.

SPEAKER_06 16:01

Well, the reality of it is until until there's

Ballots In Limbo And Voter Trust

SPEAKER_06 16:05

we're we're not gonna know until the 12th hour. Of course. And that's what the whole issue is, right? People are going, they're already, what was it, uh, almost 14,000 bat uh uh uh mail-in ballots have been ordered. Really? Uh the m a lot of those were for our military serving overseas. They're turning those ballots in. Um so the question is then so how many, we're telling our military personnel who are out there serving the country for us, that they send their ballots in and they're not going to be counted for those.

SPEAKER_03 16:37

Something's wrong with that.

SPEAKER_06 16:38

That's not right. No, it's not. And it it doesn't take a rocket science to figure out that that's wrong. Um, so there are just so many, again, chaos, disruption, for what? For one more vote in Congress, or potentially uh at what cost? At what cost?

SPEAKER_03 17:01

Oh my goodness. Well, um how would this trickle down to our city and um county government? Especially citywide and like I said, citywide and county elections, the the impact it would have on that.

SPEAKER_06 17:18

I don't see where it's gonna have any impact, honestly. I don't.

SPEAKER_00 17:22

Um Robert, I think. Yeah, there I don't I don't think there's any impact from from what we're doing here uh to the cities and to the counties. Well uh other than cost. Yeah, other than cost, and and in in some areas in some of these cities, it may be divided, you know. And that's one of the issues that we're dealing with, like if you want to divide a city that that's been whole, yeah, and you're running a line right straight through the city, this side is the fifth, this side is the sixth. So instead of uh community of interest staying together uh for this congressional um mapping. Yeah, that's a good point.

SPEAKER_06 18:07

Um that's a good point, um, rep, because yeah, there are some of our larger cities that have been divided by these new maps. York, uh, you know, um Rock Hill being one of them, yeah, right? Yeah. Um in Columbia. Columbia's divided in, I think, three, three or four different districts. Oh my goodness. Yeah. Yeah, because in Columbia.

SPEAKER_00 18:28

Charleston. Yeah. In Columbia, they put the they put USC and Clemson in the same district. Talk about areas of common interest. So Clemson, yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_03 18:46

So it sounds like children playing with toys.

SPEAKER_06 18:52

Oh yeah, the dog, it is, it really is so ridiculous that it's almost laughable, isn't it? Yeah. But to think that it there's a, you know, it's real. Yeah. It's real.

SPEAKER_00 19:04

And and and and seriously, seriously, it affects it's gonna affect people, no matter what you, you know, how you look at it. Um whenever we do unrediscrict uh in any area, you know, it affects people. But what they're doing is diluting the boat, hoping that our folks don't come out to vote. Um being in these new areas or new district, you know. So, so I I just think that it's imperative, it's imperative that folks need to understand where they're at, but also they need to get out there and vote. Yeah. Just like they're um disenfranchising the military folks' votes because they can't, they won't be counted. Right. So you're voting in it won't be counted. That's what that's what we do. So because every vote should be counted. Should be counted. And and as much as we struggle in in our history to make sure everybody, one one man won't vote, we should have made, you know, we gotta do everything in our power to make sure one man won't vote.

unknown 20:12

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 20:13

But when you ask the man to vote and it's not being counted, why should he vote? So we don't want to uh uh send the illusion of that's right it's not good to vote. Some people say, well, they ain't counting their vote, you know.

SPEAKER_03 20:26

And they are saying that.

SPEAKER_00 20:28

See, see my vote ain't account anyway. You know, you these are the messages that people get in their minds. That's right. What? They don't even count the military folks' vote. Why why do you think they're gonna count mine? This just behind the scene um conversation about the reason of voting. But I I just think that, you know, there's there's work that we have to do, and there's work that needs to be done in order to make sure that every man has a vote. Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 20:54

Yeah, yeah. So um, so that is our next step. The next step, you think, is not only the voting piece, but what else can we do as um citizens?

Citizen Pushback And Election Costs

SPEAKER_06 21:08

Well, I think I think you know, um the time is right now to call your senators um and write them emails and let them know that how much you disapprove of this. Um, one other point I just wanted to mention, because I think it's important the the cost of this to our county election boards and to our state election system. If if we in fact, the way this thing's set up right now, the calendar would work like this. If it passed, on June 1st, these new, all seven of these new districts, newly drawn districts, would be reopened for people to file to run for really all seven June 1st to June. June 5th would be their time to file with a scheduled primary in August. August. I think like 21st. Does that sound right? August 21st, and then after that a primary, and then we would they would be on the same ballot as everybody else in the general. Whoever the Democrat, whoever the Republican, et cetera, et cetera. They would all be on the same ballot in November. The problem is running that extra primary and runoff statewide. I think the price had gone up to three and a half million or almost four million dollars for the state to pay for it, and then the counties, every county would have to pay for that themselves. Well, Florence County, we looked, uh had some conversations with our county uh supervisor, the administrator, and um they indicated it would be around $200, $220,000, $230,000 for just the primary and another $170,000 for the runoff. So that's almost a half a million dollars expensed to Florence County not being reimbursed by the state or anybody else for this one issue. And it it there were some some towns that was extremely like five and six hundred thousand dollars.

SPEAKER_03 23:28

Wow. Yeah. Oh my goodness. Just for that one little simple. I mean that.

SPEAKER_06 23:35

I mean it's it's really stunning, isn't it?

SPEAKER_03 23:38

Yes, it is. It is. It is.

SPEAKER_06 23:41

But that's kind of where we are. Um we're in a it's a new, it's just a whole new really. I mean, the the pre you know precedent is is there's no precedent for this ever.

SPEAKER_03 23:55

I don't want to say what I want to call it, but I'll leave that alone.

SPEAKER_06 24:00

I know what you're gonna be doing, so you just go ahead and call it like you say it.

SPEAKER_00 24:05

The team wagging it all.

SPEAKER_05 24:11

Good answer, good answer.

SPEAKER_03 24:12

Um let's get back to the city and county. No, it wasn't the county, it was the city.

Local Elections And Legislative Wins

SPEAKER_03 24:20

Um there was something about um the partisan situation with that, and then what's gonna take place with that?

SPEAKER_06 24:28

So um, yes, there was um there was a um there was a bill that was passed earlier this session.

SPEAKER_04 24:37

Okay.

SPEAKER_06 24:38

Right now, if and and please correct me if I'm wrong, but I think there are only like six municipalities in the whole state that still have partisan elections. You know, school boards don't have partisan elections.

SPEAKER_04 24:54

Right.

SPEAKER_06 24:55

And the vast majority of our many, many towns and cities in the state don't have partisan elections. So there was a bill that was done by amendment, I think, but the city of Florence and the city of Greenville now will not have partisan elections going forward. Isn't that right?

SPEAKER_00 25:19

Um I think there was a school board that did have a partisan election. Yeah, you know, so so that bill would actually include that. Yeah, check that out to make sure that they're not it's not an RD running for school board.

SPEAKER_03 25:33

Everything is nonpartisan. Yeah. Okay, all right.

SPEAKER_06 25:36

Not county elections now, but local elections. You know, town and and and city.

SPEAKER_03 25:42

Okay, okay, good. That's good to know. That's good to know. Are there any other bills we need to know about? Because, you know, uh we lose touch. That's why you all are there to make sure that we uh Well, we're supposed to be out of session now.

SPEAKER_06 25:59

Yeah, there were some good bills past this year. There were some positive things that happened this year. Teacher pay raise. Oh, okay. Teacher pay raises. Now we were we were at uh I think we were number 43rd in the country as far as lowest paid teachers. We're up to number 22. Oh, okay. And you know, we can keep moving. So teacher pay raises have gone to over $50,000 starting now.

SPEAKER_03 26:24

Oh, wonderful.

SPEAKER_06 26:25

Which puts us you know well in the mix of the Southeast Averages. We got more money put in our rural road systems, which is really important to me and people like me who represent these rural districts.

SPEAKER_04 26:37

Right.

SPEAKER_06 26:38

Um, yeah, we had some, you know, we had some good legislation. Um we were we were very productive this year.

SPEAKER_00 26:45

Yeah, yeah. And and certainly, you know, certainly with the teachers, you know. I tell you what, if I was in school coming out, that's the first thing I apply for to be a teacher, because the pay is really good, but you you gotta do it for the love of the kids as well. But certainly that's that's a profession that that we really bumped up. And also law enforcement. We, you know, across the board, we we we've done a lot for law enforcement. A lot for law enforcement, um, yeah. Highway troop, highway patrols, and you know, stuff like that. Uh it and all all the all the major law enforcement we we tapped up.

SPEAKER_03 27:19

So wonderful.

SPEAKER_06 27:21

Representative Williams and I both serve on uh labor commerce and industry, which is a uh a committee in the in the house. And we did a lot of work on insurance rates uh this year. And um we did a we did a lot of work on liability for businesses and some things like that. We made some good positive changes there, cutting taxes on small businesses.

SPEAKER_04 27:49

Oh, great.

SPEAKER_06 27:50

We did some things like that. We did a personal income tax reduction across the state. So, you know, there were some very positive parts of this legislative year. It's just a shame we're ending it on such a really sour note.

SPEAKER_03 28:04

Yeah.

Campaign Realities In Rural Districts

SPEAKER_03 28:06

Oh my goodness. Well, um it is election year, and uh I know that you are campaigning for House Seat 101, and um this is the first time in a while you don't have to get.

SPEAKER_05 28:24

I was telling someone the other day.

SPEAKER_03 28:27

Uh um, but um in and um let's talk a little bit about that and your platform, representative country. Sure.

SPEAKER_06 28:38

So um, yeah, I um I was first elected in 2014. And uh my district uh was basically Florence County and part of Marion County. I live in Lake City.

SPEAKER_04 28:53

Okay.

SPEAKER_06 28:54

Um after this last census, we were talking about redistricting. Well, in the last census, we did redistricting. And when that happened, because of the growth of Orie County and um Rock Hill and some of these other counties, we had to shift a lot of seats around.

SPEAKER_04 29:12

Okay.

SPEAKER_06 29:12

Well, my seat got shifted and combined with another seat, so there were two of us who had to basically run against each other for this new 101.

SPEAKER_02 29:25

Oh, okay.

SPEAKER_06 29:26

And um, and that was um that happened to several of us in the state because the rural areas didn't have population growth that a lot of the bigger areas did. My district now basically is Lake City, Williamsburg County, and and part of Berkeley County. It's very rural. Um I've got you know this the town of King Street, Greeleyville, Lane, Salters, Lake City, and then down uh St. Stephen's, Jamestown, down onto Cordsville. Okay. So it's a it's a very big district. Um yes. Um pretty much I got pretty much all of Williamsburg except for Hemingway and Muddy Creek area, if you will. Um but um but it's been good. Uh the it's been uh it's it's kind of refreshed me a lot, I think, because I've gotten to meet a lot of new people, new issues, um, and new people, new area. Right. So it's kind of been a learning curve, and I've really enjoyed it. People have been real good to me. Um I've I've I do have uh uh uh a primary and uh and a general election this year. First time since I've been elected.

SPEAKER_04 30:43

Wow.

SPEAKER_06 30:44

Um but uh but I'm it's going well. The people are really have been very supportive, and um so I'm looking forward to continuing my service down there in that district and and continuing to work for them. There's a lot of needs.

SPEAKER_03 30:58

Great, great, great.

SPEAKER_00 31:00

What my thing was in 2010, the same thing happened to me when we did redistricting. Uh I had to run against Denny Nielsen, who has been the longest serving uh rep in this area. And and and what they done was they they kind of merged her her district with mine, and I and I had this conversation with Denny. I said, Denny, you know, could we just work something out? And um, but she she wanted to run anyway, and she did. Um and and Denny's is a good friend, is still my friend as of today when I talk to her. But uh we we we've created you know a bond and a relationship, and um, because I told her that, you know, um that you know give me an opportunity to serve the people. And and um, but you know, at the end of the day, she still wanted to run against me. Uh so but un you know, unfortunately, uh I can say fortunately, either way. You know, who you talk what side you're on. So but but but it's been you know it's been a process, you know, ever since. So and I just wanted uh commend representing the curvy for for his leadership. He has really, you know, I'm just telling you, he's he's really took the bull by the horn with the Democratic Party. He has leadership in the Democratic Party there in the House. And um, and he's the type of person you can talk to. He's listen, he's he listens. And not only he listens, but he he, you know, whatever he can do to help and to serve his people, he he he's he's about that. So very kind. Yeah, I appreciate what Robert. Thank you. And um, we we have conversation on the floor, and and I'll be looking for certain people. He has to hear so I'm just saying, you know, but uh but it's all but it's all good, it's all good. I think we have a good relationship, and you know, I've he's my junior, you know. He he he's my junior. He came in after I did, but but uh but I watched this young man how he, you know, how he really groved and came into leadership. And he he has all the traits of a leader, you know. Very kind.

SPEAKER_06 33:31

And very kind. We are, as you can tell, we're good friends. Yes. And um and I'm we have a our our caucus, our democratic caucus, is really filled with people who are interested in helping people. In helping people, and that's right. And that's what it's all about. That's right. Helping people, serving people. So hopefully we can continue that. Amen. Amen.

SPEAKER_03 34:00

I um and uh Representative Williams, one reason he's probably so kind is because he's a musician. He's got music written to it.

SPEAKER_00 34:10

He is, he is, and he is conscious, too. He is conscious too.

SPEAKER_03 34:17

He's a minister of music. We have that in common. So I'm that one yesterday. Yeah, we were talking yesterday. Yes.

SPEAKER_00 34:26

Well, you might have to get him to come back and do something.

SPEAKER_03 34:28

Yes.

SPEAKER_05 34:29

Come back and sing a little bit more and see it. Oh, wonderful. Yellow to conceal. Wonderful.

SPEAKER_03 34:35

Well, I tell you, it has been really great to have both of you here to be able to um explain to our viewers uh the situation that's going on in our state house. And um we count it valuable to have both of you there fighting for us. Yes. So um any last comments to either one of you want to give before we I'll let Junior go for you.

SPEAKER_06 35:02

The only thing I would say is just please, please tell everyone how important it is that they stay

Civic Education Vote And Memorial Day

SPEAKER_06 35:12

engaged and informed and vote. It's critical. It is critical that people exercise their right. Because that is their you know, they say it, you've heard it, your vote is your voice, your vote is your power. It's true. It's never been truer. So that's that's my parting uh ask uh of everyone is to please, please vote. Don't let anyone stay home.

SPEAKER_03 35:41

Right, amen.

SPEAKER_00 35:43

And um mine would be, you know, we gotta continue to educate people about the importance of our election. And and really about cities as as a whole. Because a lot of young folks, we took cities out of school.

SPEAKER_04 36:00

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 36:01

You know, they don't know that these laws when they get to a stop sign, they didn't, they don't know how they got there. They don't know, you know, it took a law or some kind of ordinance for those stop signs to be placed whereby everything has a has a purpose, but our kids don't know that. That's why some kids think apples come from IGA instead of coming from the seal. You know, you know, this that's if you ask the average kid, you know, where you where you where you um where you get bananas from? Well, IgA? Well, they don't know how they how they got to IGA. They ain't thought about the process of getting them to IGA. Yeah. All they know they get them from IGE.

SPEAKER_02 36:43

IGA.

SPEAKER_00 36:44

So I and it's part of educating people about um the the genesis of how things happen or how things start in order for them to understand the process.

SPEAKER_04 36:55

Right.

SPEAKER_00 36:56

Yeah. So it's it's a process for for any and everything, you know. Um and if folks understand the process and understand the importance of the process, I think we can kind of and when I say this process, I'm talking about the process of voting and you know, educating people, you know, getting them involved in in the process. They you know they can they can be better decision makers on you know what they want in life and you know and and how things happen.

SPEAKER_03 37:24

Amen. Both statements are awesome. That that's good. That engagement piece and and and understand the process of education, yeah um that is uh valuable. And so everyone, make sure you go out and vote. Early voting begins on the 26th of June. Yes, so make sure you um exercise your this month.

SPEAKER_00 37:50

Tuesday.

SPEAKER_03 37:51

Oh, look at me. I'm rotating next month. You're right, you're right. Thank you for the correction. Thank you for the correction. Tuesday, this Tuesday, the 26th of May. I'm already in June.

SPEAKER_05 38:02

I've got so much going on.

SPEAKER_03 38:05

Yeah, with the 20th uh 26th of May now, not June, May, uh this Tuesday, this coming Tuesday, um, please uh exercise your right to vote. Go into that.

SPEAKER_00 38:16

Um if the different I just want to add one thing to know as we as we celebrate Memorial Day and it's this week. That's right. I don't want us to forget about our troops who gave their life so that we are able to come here and have this conversation.

SPEAKER_03 38:34

Yes.

SPEAKER_00 38:34

Uh I know that when I was in Iraq, traveling the dirty roads in Iraq, we couldn't even stay in places long enough because once they find out your location, then they start targeting you. You know, so so we are happy we're blessed where we can live in a place where we ain't got to worry about that here in America. But when I was over there, you know, you better not stay in that place too long. Somebody find out you there, then they they will start sending sending ammunitions your way. Um so for those men and women who who gave their lives, and we had 13 gave their lives since the war in Iran start. You know, 13 uh folks who whose life is no longer here with us to celebrate. But I just want to um commend those people, commend those ladies and gentlemen who who sacrificed the ultimate sacrifice for this nation and for our way of life. So we can't we can't we can't ignore that. Because if they don't go and serve, we we won't have the freedom is not free. Freedom is not free. So there's somebody who paid paid for in sweat and blood for these sacrifices that we we have. But uh just want to commend all the veterans and uh my kudos out to all the veterans that that that are living. And because I lost some soldiers coming back, I lost several soldiers, and still today I don't talk about it a lot, but it grieves me and I still think about them and their and their in their fight for freedom.

SPEAKER_03 40:09

That's right. That's right. Well, thank you so much for that. Thank you so much for that because um tomorrow is Memorial Day, and so um remember that. Remember that. Um so gentlemen, again, thank you ever so much. Thank you.

SPEAKER_06 40:25

This has been a delight. Thank you.

SPEAKER_03 40:27

Yes, thank you. Uh all right, everyone. Thank you so much for watching Native Drums, and uh, we'll see you on next week.