Thousands of South Carolinians weighed in on the top issues for state legislators to address in the 2027 legislative session.

Between February 9 and April 3, 2026, we asked South Carolinians "What should state leaders and residents work together to fix in our state?" South Carolinians stepped up, submitting 1,200+ issues and 21,900+ reactions on our digital platform. Using data analytics, we identified 25 issues with the strongest cross-demographic consensus.

Then, between April 3 and April 27, 2026, we opened a voting round on our digital platform, asking participants to allocate 6 votes across the Top 25 Issues listed below. This voting round helped to determine the issues that move forward into our project's next phase, "Community Conversations."

See our Insights page to learn more about our the Top 25 Issues, how they were selected, and who participated between February and April 3, 2026 (plus a short pre-launch window). See the Phase 1 Report to learn which issues rose to the top in the voting round, and how they will move forward into Community Conversations.

We need your voice! You are invited to join in-person and online community conversations, to explore possible solutions to the top identified issues.

In June and July 2026, The South Carolina Forum is hosting in-person and online conversations for people across the state, to come together as neighbors, learn and share about the top issues identified in Phase 1, and explore possible solutions that could attract broad cross-partisan support among legislators and constituents.

Signing up for one or more Community Conversations is easy and free. You don't need to have joined Phase 1 to join a Phase 2 Community Conversation. Please join us in Greenville, Columbia, or Charleston, or choose from one of the online conversations to weigh in on the issue you care about most.

Register to enter the lottery-based delegate selection pool for our October 2026 civic assembly, during which ~100 chosen delegates will evaluate and finalize
supermajority-backed proposals for state legislators.

On October 9-11, 2026, at the University of South Carolina Law School, the South Carolina Forum will host an in-person, lottery-selected civic assembly. 100 South Carolinians who represent the diversity of the state will convene for three days to weigh and sharpen proposals on 1-2 top issue areas emerging from our Community Conversations phase. 

Want to participate in South Carolina's first-ever statewide civic assembly? Selection is lottery-based, so we can't guarantee you a seat. However, just by filling in this short interest form, you will automatically be added to the lottery selection pool. Good luck! 

Join our mailing list, become an SC Forum Champion, and help us bring citizen-inspired, cross-partisan legislation over the finish line in early 2027.

Our October 2026 civic assembly delegates will prepare broadly-supported, draft legislative proposals on behalf of their fellow South Carolinians. However, generating the proposals is only one part of a longer journey. In late 2026 and early 2027, we'll mobilize grassroots citizen support and advocacy for the legislative proposals that "we the people" prioritized through our yearlong deliberative process. Our ultimate goal? To introduce at least one citizen-backed bipartisan bill into the January 2027 state legislative session.

Please join our mailing list today so we can keep you posted on our progress towards identifying, advancing, and introducing legislation in early 2027!

Our future. One table. Everyone gets a seat.