A letter to the SC Attorney General's office from the US Department of Justice says the map used in the November 2010 school board election for Florence School District One was not the map the Justice Department approved in 2006.
Last month, school board members learned there are two maps with the same reference number on them, but the maps are slightly different, so board members sent a letter to the Justice Department to find out which map is the right one.
Board members, Alexis Pipkins, Sr, Pat Gibson Hye-Moore and EJ McIver argued the map had been changed without their knowledge and impacted the outcome of some races.
The US Justice Department has to approve any changes to voting maps based on Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act of 1965. The Act outlawed discriminatory voting practices that had been responsible for the widespread disenfranchisement of African Americans in the United States.
At this point, it is not clear as to how the school board will handle this situation.
