The Civic Assembly ratifies eight workforce policy recommendations by supermajority
From October 9 to 11, 94 South Carolinians from across the state participated in a Civic Assembly hosted by The South Carolina Forum. Over 3 days, these delegates drafted, deliberated, and voted on policy directives, with 8 receiving supermajority support.
A diverse group from across the state, regular citizens tackled the critical issue of improving opportunity and affordability for South Carolina's workforce.
Each working group defined the issue they felt was the most important and created policy directives with the support of nonpartisan moderators. Workforce opportunity and affordability experts, representing different issue areas, were available to answer delegate questions.
See the 8 approved directivesWho Participated
The South Carolina Forum Civic Assembly's delegates were randomly selected and represent the diverse demographics of the state's adult population.
Note:The South Carolina Forum sought to recruit a politically balanced group of Civic Assembly delegates, bringing together diverse political perspectives and people of different life experiences.
The Process
The Civic Assembly featured 4 in-depth working sessions over 3 days. Independent experts on workforce opportunities and affordability briefed the delegates and answered questions to inform their discussions.
- Session One
Define the problem and criteria
- Session Two
Build and evaluate policy actions
- Session Three
Draft policy directives and revise based on feedback
- Session Four
Revise, present, and vote
Delegates talked about these themes
Workers' career opportunities
Employers, business development, and better jobs
Care that makes work possible
The Outcome – 8 Approved Directives
Delegates passed 8 policy directives, with each receiving supermajority (>70%) support.
The policy recommendations below contain the exact text approved by the Civic Assembly, including any notes or clarification the delegates made. They have not been altered or summarized in any way.
In the Room
3 days at Joseph F. Rice School of Law in Columbia. Nine working groups, four deep-dive working sessions, expert panel discussions, three rounds of voting, one final set of ratified directives.
Delegate Feedback
In the voices of South Carolinians, what they thought about the experience.
"The media portrays left vs right like we should hate each other and my experience at the SC Forum could not have been any different."
"100 people realiz[ed] the problems we face together are much greater than the culture who attempts to divide us"
"I feel we all come together for a common goal regardless of what political party we support"
"I was NOT optimistic about this. Politics has become volatile. But, this was BEAUTIFUL!... This has permanently affected me in a positive way!!"
Feedback on the process and anticipated impact
[XX] of [XX] delegates were highly positive about the event; they gave 9 or 10 out of 10
93% of delegates believe The South Carolina Forum will positively impact the state
97% of delegates rated the Civic Assembly’s decision-making fair, 8 or higher out of 10
89% of delegates want to keep going and volunteered to help advance the Assembly’s work
How We Got Here
Identify the Top Issues
From February 9th to April 30th, South Carolinians answered this question: If South Carolina's state leaders and residents could solve one problem, what should it be? More than forty-five thousand South Carolinians contributed issues, reactions, and votes, surfacing the top four issue areas.
Read the full reportJoin Community Conversations
In June and July, 568 South Carolinians signed up for 8 online conversations and 5 face-to-face conversations across South Carolina. They discussed 4 issues, based on the input of thousands of residents in Phase One.
Read the full reportDeliberate and Decide
From October 9 to 11, 94 randomly selected delegates drafted, deliberated, and voted on workforce policy directives. Eight passed by supermajority.
See the directivesNext Steps
The work from The South Carolina Forum Civic Assembly continues. We’re working with South Carolinians to turn the Assembly’s policy directives into state legislation. Here’s what comes next:
- 1November – December Up next
Engage Legislators
Goal: Partner with bipartisan legislators to sponsor a bill and submit to the South Carolina Legislative Council
Action: Build initial support and bring constituent priorities into the legislative agenda.
- 2Early 2027
Finalize Bill Text and Committee Review
Goal: Legislative Council finalizes the bill text, the sponsor signs it, and the bill receives a number before being formally introduced and referred to committee for review.
Action: Promote the public hearing and executive sessions, encouraging the committee to send the bill to chamber.
- 3Ongoing strategy (2027)
Mobilize Grassroots Advocacy
Goal: Drive public support throughout the entire legislative process to pass the bill.
Action: Empower South Carolinians to engage elected officials and advocate for the bill's passage.
Sign Up to Be a SC Forum Champion
Citizen-led recommendations only become law when South Carolinians push for them. Sign up to help advance our workforce policy recommendations through the upcoming session of the South Carolina State Legislature.
