Editing Richland County, South Carolina (section)

==Law and government==
[[File:Richland County Sheriff's Department Horses, 1913.jpg|thumb|Richland County Sheriff's Department Horses, 1913 in Columbia]]
Richland County is governed by a [[county council]],<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.richlandonline.com/Government/CountyCouncil/CountyCouncilMembers.aspx|title=Richland County > Government > County Council > County Council Members|website=www.richlandonline.com|language=en-US|access-date=March 13, 2018}}</ref> who hold concurrent four-year terms. Richland County is governed under the Council-Administrator form of government, which is very similar to the [[Council–manager government|council–manager]] form of government. The major difference between the council–manager and council–administrator forms of government is the title of the chief executive.

{| class="wikitable"
|-
!colspan="2"| County council (as of 2023)
|-
! District
! Council person
|-
| District 1
| Jason Branham
|-
| District 2
| Derrek Pugh
|-
| District 3
| Yvonne McBride
|-
| District 4
| Paul Livingston 
|-
| District 5
| Allison Terracio
|-
| District 6
| Don Weaver
|-
| District 7
| Gretchen Barron
|-
| District 8
| Overture Walker (chair)
|-
| District 9
| Jesica Mackey (vice chair)
|-
| District 10
| Cheryl English
|-
| District 11
| Chakisse Newton
|}

The [[South Carolina Department of Corrections]], headquartered in Columbia and in Richland County,<ref>"[http://www.doc.sc.gov/institutions/institutions.jsp Institutions]." [[South Carolina Department of Corrections]]. Retrieved on August 17, 2010.</ref> operates several correctional facilities in Columbia and in Richland County. They include the [[Broad River Correctional Institution]],<ref>"[http://www.doc.sc.gov/institutions/brci.jsp Broad River Correctional Institution]." [[South Carolina Department of Corrections]]. Retrieved on August 17, 2010.</ref> the Goodman Correctional Institution,<ref>"[http://www.doc.sc.gov/institutions/goodman.jsp Goodman Correctional Institution]." [[South Carolina Department of Corrections]]. Retrieved on August 17, 2010.</ref> the [[Camille Griffin Graham Correctional Institution]],<ref>"[http://www.doc.sc.gov/institutions/camille.jsp Graham (Camille Griffin) Correctional Institution]." [[South Carolina Department of Corrections]]. Retrieved on August 17, 2010. "4450 Broad River Road Columbia, SC 29210-4096"</ref> the Stevenson Correctional Institution,<ref>"[http://www.doc.sc.gov/institutions/stevenson.jsp Stevenson Correctional Institution]." [[South Carolina Department of Corrections]]. Retrieved on August 17, 2010.</ref> and the Campbell Pre-Release Center.<ref>"[http://www.doc.sc.gov/institutions/campbell.jsp Campbell Pre-Release Center]." [[South Carolina Department of Corrections]]. Retrieved on August 17, 2010.</ref> Graham houses the state's female death row.<ref>"[http://www.doc.sc.gov/institutions/camille.jsp Graham (Camille Griffin) Correctional Institution]." [[South Carolina Department of Corrections]]. Retrieved on August 17, 2010. "The institution also functions as a major special management unit with the ability to house female death row inmates and county safekeepers."</ref> The State of South Carolina execution chamber is located at Broad River. From 1990 to 1997 Broad River housed the state's male death row.<ref name="Deathrow">"[http://www.doc.sc.gov/news/deathrow.jsp Death Row/Capital Punishment]." [[South Carolina Department of Corrections]]. Retrieved on August 17, 2010.</ref>

In March 2008, the Richland County Sheriff's Department acquired an [[armored personnel carrier]] equipped with a [[12 mm caliber|.50 caliber]] [[machine gun]].<ref>[http://www.policemag.com/News/2008/03/06/S-C-Sheriffs-Department-Armored-Vehicle-with-Belt-Fed-Machine-Gun.aspx S.C. Sheriff's Department Armored Vehicle with Belt-Fed Machine Gun] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080904041641/http://www.policemag.com/News/2008/03/06/S-C-Sheriffs-Department-Armored-Vehicle-with-Belt-Fed-Machine-Gun.aspx |date=September 4, 2008 }}</ref> ''[[Reason (magazine)|Reason]]'' magazine criticized the acquisition as "[[Overkill (term)|overkill]]".<ref>[http://www.reason.com/blog/show/128482.html Sheriff Lott's New Toy] by Radley Balko September 1, 2008</ref>

===Politics===
Richland County was one of the first areas of South Carolina to break away from a [[Solid South]] voting pattern. From 1948 to 1988, it only supported the official Democratic candidate for president once, in 1976. It voted for splinter Dixiecrat [[Strom Thurmond]] in 1948, and for [[unpledged elector]]s in 1956.

Since 1992, Richland County has been one of the stronger Democratic bastions in South Carolina, following the trend of most urban counties across the country.
{{PresHead|place=Richland County, South Carolina|whig=no|source1=<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://uselectionatlas.org/RESULTS|title=Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections|last=Leip|first=David|website=uselectionatlas.org|access-date=March 13, 2018}}</ref>}}
<!-- PresRow should be {{PresRow|Year|Winning party|GOP/Whig vote #|Dem vote #|3rd party vote #|State}} -->
{{PresRow|2024|Democratic|58,019|121,110|3,282|South Carolina}}
{{PresRow|2020|Democratic|58,313|132,570|2,939|South Carolina}}
{{PresRow|2016|Democratic|52,469|108,000|8,253|South Carolina}}
{{PresRow|2012|Democratic|53,105|103,989|2,060|South Carolina}}
{{PresRow|2008|Democratic|57,941|105,656|1,440|South Carolina}}
{{PresRow|2004|Democratic|56,212|76,283|1,306|South Carolina}}
{{PresRow|2000|Democratic|50,164|63,179|3,138|South Carolina}}
{{PresRow|1996|Democratic|39,092|52,222|3,916|South Carolina}}
{{PresRow|1992|Democratic|43,744|53,648|8,858|South Carolina}}
{{PresRow|1988|Republican|43,841|36,420|2,862|South Carolina}}
{{PresRow|1984|Republican|46,773|32,212|2,444|South Carolina}}
{{PresRow|1980|Republican|36,337|33,158|3,374|South Carolina}}
{{PresRow|1976|Democratic|32,727|36,855|380|South Carolina}}
{{PresRow|1972|Republican|39,746|21,462|787|South Carolina}}
{{PresRow|1968|Republican|26,215|18,198|7,032|South Carolina}}
{{PresRow|1964|Republican|27,306|17,939|0|South Carolina}}
{{PresRow|1960|Republican|20,736|11,694|0|South Carolina}}
{{PresRow|1956|Dixiecrat|6,714|6,154|9,516|South Carolina}}
{{PresRow|1952|Republican|15,925|8,890|0|South Carolina}}
{{PresRow|1948|Dixiecrat|670|2,419|6,104|South Carolina}}
{{PresRow|1944|Democratic|140|6,590|347|South Carolina}}
{{PresRow|1940|Democratic|167|4,781|0|South Carolina}}
{{PresRow|1936|Democratic|152|6,728|0|South Carolina}}
{{PresRow|1932|Democratic|119|4,371|10|South Carolina}}
{{PresRow|1928|Democratic|444|3,158|0|South Carolina}}
{{PresRow|1924|Democratic|88|2,369|74|South Carolina}}
{{PresRow|1920|Democratic|295|2,434|0|South Carolina}}
{{PresRow|1916|Democratic|292|2,283|32|South Carolina}}
{{PresRow|1912|Democratic|23|1,557|186|South Carolina}}
{{PresRow|1908|Democratic|236|1,750|21|South Carolina}}
{{PresRow|1904|Democratic|122|1,220|0|South Carolina}}
{{PresRow|1900|Democratic|62|445|0|South Carolina}}
{{PresRow|1896|Democratic|468|925|29|South Carolina}}
{{PresFoot|1892|Democratic|146|788|0|South Carolina}}