Charleston County is located in the U.S. state of South Carolina along the Atlantic coast.

Charleston County was chartered in 1785 but was quickly dissolved after disputes by the residents about governance.

[5] It is the largest county in South Carolina by total land and water area.

[19] In 1975 the state's Home Rule Act established a larger role for the county governments.

From the turn of the 20th century into the 1960s, most African Americans were excluded from voting by the state's disenfranchising constitution and discriminatory practices.

Since 1969, members of the county commission have been elected in a modified at-large system for nine seats from four residency districts.

[20][21] The council elects a chairman from its members for a limited term of two years, but chairs can be re-elected.

"[20] At-large positions favor candidates who can attract a majority of the votes, reducing representation from smaller portions of the population, or geographic areas.

This proposal was narrowly defeated in what both the county and the US government later defined as a racially polarized election.

[21] In practice, the at-large system results in the dilution of votes of the significant minority of African-American voters, who comprise more than one-third of the electorate.

[21] In January 2001, the US Department of Justice filed suit against the county government for racial discrimination based on the at-large system, which the suit contended violates Sec.2 of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 by diluting voting power.

Four voters independently filed suit as plaintiffs against the county on the same basis, and the District Court combined the cases.

Justice officials noted that the at-large seats dilute the voting strength of the African-American minority in the county, who in 2000 comprised 34.5% of the population.

The DOJ officials noted that the voting preference issue is not just a question of ethnicity; voters in black precincts in the county had rejected a Republican African American as a candidate for the council; they supported the Democratic at-large candidate.

The suit noted that historically, black and white precincts in Charleston County have consistently supported different candidates for the council.

[22] In United States v. Charleston County, SC (March 2003), the District Court ruled that Charleston County improperly diluted the voting strength of African-American voters "by maintaining an at-large voting system in a manner which violated Section 2."

In July 2003, the 4th Circuit Appeals Court found that historic voting in the county was racially polarized and that minority candidates had mostly not been successful in seeking office, two conditions that are recognized under the law as showing discriminatory effects of the voting system in the county.

[20] Based on historical and economic analysis, the courts found that race was a more important issue than partisanship in influencing the outcome of the elections.

[25] The County Council system was changed in 2004 to elect individuals from nine single-member districts, with members serving four-year staggered terms.

[26] Republican Elliott Summey was elected by council members as chairman, replacing Democrat Teddie Pryor, who had served for six years.

[27] Charleston County is split between South Carolina's 1st congressional district, represented by Republican Nancy Mace, and South Carolina's 6th congressional district, represented by Democrat Jim Clyburn.

[39] As of April 2024[update], some of the largest employers within the county include Boeing, Booz Allen Hamilton, Charleston County School District, College of Charleston, CVS Pharmacy, Harris Teeter, Medical University of South Carolina, Mercedes-Benz Group, Publix, United States Department of Defense, United States Department of Veterans Affairs, and Walmart.

James Island County Park, approximately 11 minutes by car from downtown Charleston, features a 50-foot climbing wall and bouldering cave; cabin, RV, and tent camping facilities; rental facilities, fishing dock, challenge course, kayaking programs, summer camps, paved trails, and many special events such as the Lowcountry Cajun Festival (usually the first weekend in April), East Coast Canoe and Kayak Festival (3rd weekend in April), Holiday Festival of Lights (mid-November through the first of the year), and the summer outdoor reggae concerts.