Hicks: Redistricting effort spits in face of military personnel, vets

I am a veteran of the U.S. Army. I completed four tours in Iraq and Afghanistan. I am neither a Republican nor a Democrat. I am an American who cares about life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. And I am writing to express my outrage at House Bill 5683, the Redistricting Bill.

The United States has thousands of troops deployed across the world. In the last two years, we’ve been involved in conflicts with Ukraine, Venezuela, Iran and within our own borders in Los Angeles, Minneapolis and on the border with Mexico. And these are just the missions that the public knows about. As military personnel, we risk our lives so civilians can exercise their freedoms. We make it our business to be the thin green line that protects them from unknown peril.

So to hear that South Carolina’s General Assembly – a governing body that wears friendliness to veterans and their families like a badge of honor – is looking to disenfranchise potentially thousands of service members who have already voted, just days before a primary election, is beyond infuriating. It spits in the face of every sacrifice a military person has made in the last 250 years.

Let me remind everyone that most of our lawmakers have never served in the military, either because they were wealthy and powerful enough to avoid it or didn’t have what it takes to survive it. Shame on South Carolina’s lawmakers (especially the Republican ones driving this process) for privileging their own voting power over and above the military personnel making it possible for them to sleep peacefully at night.

And shame on S.C. Gov. Henry McMaster for trying to pass this vote specifically over Memorial Day weekend. Let me remind our politicians that Memorial Day is the day where our country honors our war dead.

Passing a bill that disenfranchises military veterans on a weekend honoring our war dead is beyond insulting and disgraceful. How can you say honor our sacrifices when you do not protect our right to be heard through our votes? Are you aware of the hoops that military members have to jump through in order to vote absentee in the first place? And for primary votes, none the less? I have participated in this process. It was totally unpredictable: sometimes it was a nightmare and sometimes it was easy. But it was never cancelled. What South Carolina is about to do is unprecedented and will have consequences.

It is my understanding that more than $5 million will be spent on a new primary election for one office. Why isn’t this money being spent to keep our soldiers safe in combat zones? Why can’t that money go towards making sure troops have everything they need to be safe?

For 20 years, I dedicated my life to the protection of this country. Members of the military, as well as their families, love the United States. They are willing to be placed anywhere – literally anywhere – in the world for this country. And they do it without so much as a question – which is more than I can say about politicians. Military members do this because we love our country, and we know that freedom is not free.

I am someone who has been stationed across the world. But when my retirement came, I chose South Carolina. I enjoyed my time stationed here and have since bought land, used the GI Bill to achieve my undergraduate and law degrees, and now work as a lawyer, representing people who also know what it’s like to feel unheard.

If the state wants to make sure it keeps veterans coming back, it will vote H. 5683 down and focus on supporting the military instead of disenfranchising it.

Matthew Hicks of Bishopville retired in 2016 from the U.S. Army as a sergeant first class.