Gov. Henry McMaster signs Executive Order establishing the South Carolina 2020 Complete Count Committee

Lt. Gov. Pamela S. Evette to Serve as Chair of the Committee

Governor Henry McMaster today issued Executive Order 2019-22, which establishes the South Carolina 2020 Complete Count Committee – a committee created to work with the United States Census Bureau and other stakeholders in order to raise awareness of the importance of the 2020 Census and to encourage all South Carolinians to participate.

To watch video of the event, visit the governor’s YouTube page.

Governor McMaster designated Lieutenant Governor Pamela S. Evette as chair of the Committee, which is currently made up of 54 state agencies, constitutional officers, and private organizations that are representative of South Carolina’s population.

“We’re here today because we want to organize early, and we have a great team, as you can see by those who have agreed to participate so far,” said Gov. Henry McMaster. “It’s critically important that we count each and every resident of South Carolina. We know our state is growing, we’re on the way up, and we want to be sure our representation and our strength is felt.”

“We want to make sure we include everybody,” said Lt. Gov. Pamela S. Evette. “The census doesn’t officially begin until April of next year, but we have to start now. We don’t want to wait until the last minute, so we need all hands on deck.”

The Committee’s objective is to work with the United States Census Bureau and any other in-state Complete Count Committees to encourage statewide census participation. The Committee will meet at least quarterly and will convene upon the call of the chair or the governor.

“I’d like to extend a special thank you to Governor McMaster for heeding our call and forming the South Carolina Complete Count Committee,” said Mary Peeler, S.C. Partnership Coordinator with the U.S. Census Bureau. “This committee will help to spread the word about the importance of the census to every South Carolinian and encourage every household to participate.”

The following public and private organizations and offices will be represented on the Committee. This list is not final and additions will be made in the future:

State Government Agencies

Department of Administration
Department on Aging
Department of Alcohol and Other Drug Abuse Services
Department of Commerce
Department of Corrections
Department of Employment and Workforce
Department of Health and Human Services
Department of Insurance
Department of Juvenile Justice
Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation
Department of Motor Vehicles
Department of Parks, Recreation and Tourism
Department of Probation, Parole and Pardon Services
Department of Public Safety
Department of Revenue
Department of Social Services
Department of Veteran’s Affairs
South Carolina Military Department, Adjutant General
State Law Enforcement Division
Municipal Association of South Carolina
S.C. Association of Regional Councils
S.C. Association of Counties
S.C. Military Base Taskforce
S.C. First Steps
S.C. Minority Affairs Commission

Constitutional Officers:

Lieutenant Governor Pamela S. Evette (Chair)
S.C. Superintendent of Education
S.C. Treasurer
S.C. Attorney General
S.C. Commissioner of Agriculture
S.C. Secretary of State

Non-Governmental Organizations

S.C. Association of School Administrators
South Carolina School Boards Association
Palmetto State Teachers Association
S.C. Association of School Business Officials
S.C. Independent Colleges and Universities
University of South Carolina
South Carolina Broadcasters Association
United Way Association
Together SC
South Carolina Grant Makers Network
NAACP
PASOS
Food Bank Association
Area Agencies on Aging
Urban League
Republican Party of South Carolina
Democratic Party of South Carolina
S.C. Progressive Network
League of Women Voters
Appleseed Legal Justice Center
BlueCross BlueShield
NFIB
Dominion Energy
Palmetto Family

*All members of the state’s Congressional Delegation have been invited to participate