Current Status Introducing Body:Senate Bill Number:187 Primary Sponsor:Wilson Committee Number:11 Type of Legislation:GB Subject:Party primaries, second required when Residing Body:Senate Current Committee:Judiciary Computer Document Number:JIC/6716.HC Introduced Date:19930113 Last History Body:Senate Last History Date:19930113 Last History Type:Introduced, read first time, referred to Committee Scope of Legislation:Statewide All Sponsors:Wilson Thomas Giese Rose Type of Legislation:General Bill
Bill Body Date Action Description CMN Leg Involved ____ ______ ____________ ______________________________ ___ ____________ 187 Senate 19930113 Introduced, read first time, 11 referred to CommitteeView additional legislative information at the LPITS web site.
TO AMEND SECTION 7-13-40, AS AMENDED, AND SECTION 7-17-600, CODE OF LAWS OF SOUTH CAROLINA, 1976, RELATING TO PARTY PRIMARY ELECTIONS, SO AS TO PROVIDE THAT SECOND PRIMARIES MUST BE HELD WHEN NO CANDIDATE RECEIVES THIRTY PERCENT OR MORE OF THE VOTE; AND TO REPEAL SECTION 7-17-610 RELATING TO ESTABLISHING MAJORITY VOTES.
Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the State of South Carolina:
SECTION 1. Section 7-13-40 of the 1976 Code, as last amended by Act 253 of 1992, is further amended to read:
"Section 7-13-40. In the event that If a party nominates candidates by party primary, a party primary must be held by the party and conducted by the State Election Commission and the respective county election commissions on the second Tuesday in June of each general election year and a second and third primary each two weeks successively thereafter, if necessary. A second primary must be held if no candidate receives thirty percent or more of the votes in the first primary as required by Section 7-17-600. Certification of the names of all candidates to be placed on primary ballots must be made by the political party chairman, vice chairman, or secretary to the State Election Commission or the county election commission, whichever is responsible under law for preparing the ballot, not later than twelve o'clock noon on May first, or if May first falls on a Sunday, not later than twelve o'clock noon on the following Monday. The filing fees for candidates whose names are on ballots to be voted on in all primaries, except municipal primaries, must be transmitted by the respective political parties to the State Election Commission and placed by the executive director of the commission in a special account designated for use in conducting the primaries and must be used for that purpose. The filing fee for each office is one percent of the total salary for the term of that office or one hundred dollars, whichever amount is greater."
SECTION 2. Section 7-17-600 of the 1976 Code is amended to read:
"Section 7-17-600. No candidate shall may be declared nominated in a first primary election unless he received a majority thirty percent or more of the votes cast for the office for which he was a candidate. The question of a majority percentage vote shall must be determined by the number of votes cast for any a particular office and not by the whole number of votes cast in the primary."
SECTION 3. Section 7-17-610 of the 1976 Code is repealed.
SECTION 4. This act takes effect upon approval by the Governor.