S.C. could get 7th House seat

South Carolina stands to gain a seventh congressional seat if population projections hold for the 2010 census.

At least two national groups predict that South Carolina will be one of eight states gaining seats because of growing populations.

However, gaining a seat hinges on a slim margin, making it critical for census organizers to count all South Carolinians.

U.S. House Minority Whip Jim Clyburn, D-S.C., said the district would be added along the coast, which has seen the most growth.

The congressional districts with the highest growth have been the 1st, which stretches from Charleston to Horry County; 2nd, which runs from Beaufort to Lexington; and 5th, which includes York and Lancaster counties, said Bobby Bowers, director of the S.C. Office of Research and Statistics, which tracks the state's population.

S.C. House Speaker Bobby Harrell, R-Charleston, said adding a seventh district will result in changes to the state's existing six districts. "You'd end up with several districts getting redrawn," he said.

The state's population is projected to grow only slightly more than the amount needed to add a seventh seat, making it critical to count every resident, Bowers said. "If we get a good count, I think we stand a chance to get a seventh one."

The House of Representatives has 435 members. Each state elects a number of representatives based on its population in the census, which is held every 10 years.