Current Status Bill Number:583 Ratification Number:441 Act Number:408 Type of Legislation:General Bill GB Introducing Body:Senate Introduced Date:19950228 Primary Sponsor:Russell All Sponsors:Russell Drafted Document Number:PT\1732DW.95 Date Bill Passed both Bodies:19960530 Date of Last Amendment:19960528 Governor's Action:S Date of Governor's Action:19960604 Subject:Voter registration age qualifications
Body Date Action Description Com Leg Involved ______ ________ _______________________________________ _______ ____________ ------ 19960621 Act No. A408 ------ 19960604 Signed by Governor ------ 19960530 Ratified R441 House 19960530 Concurred in Senate amendment, enrolled for ratification Senate 19960528 House amendments amended, returned to House with amendment House 19960522 Read third time, returned to Senate with amendment House 19960521 Amended, read second time House 19960515 Committee report: Favorable with 25 HJ amendment House 19960430 Introduced, read first time, 25 HJ referred to Committee Senate 19960425 Read third time, sent to House Senate 19960423 Amended, read second time Senate 19960417 Committee report: Favorable with 11 SJ amendment Senate 19950228 Introduced, read first time, 11 SJ referred to CommitteeView additional legislative information at the LPITS web site.
(A408, R441, S583)
AN ACT TO AMEND SECTIONS 7-5-120 AND 7-5-180, BOTH AS AMENDED, CODE OF LAWS OF SOUTH CAROLINA, 1976, RELATING TO THE QUALIFICATIONS AND DISQUALIFICATIONS FOR REGISTRATION TO VOTE, SO AS TO CHANGE THE AGE QUALIFICATION TO BE CONSISTENT WITH PROPOSED CONSTITUTIONAL REQUIREMENTS FOR ALLOWING A CITIZEN WHO HAS NOT ATTAINED THE AGE OF EIGHTEEN TO BE A QUALIFIED ELECTOR, AND TO PROVIDE THAT THE ABOVE PROVISIONS TAKE EFFECT UPON RATIFICATION OF THIS AMENDMENT TO SECTION 4, ARTICLE II OF THE CONSTITUTION OF THIS STATE PERMITTING THE ABOVE.
Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the State of South Carolina:
Qualifications for voting
SECTION 1. Section 7-5-120 of the 1976 Code, as last amended by Act 365 of 1994, is further amended to read:
"Section 7-5-120. (A) Every citizen of this State and the United States who applies for registration must be registered if he meets the following qualifications:
(1) the age qualification as provided in Section 4, Article II of the Constitution of this State;
(2) is not laboring under disabilities named in the Constitution of 1895 of this State; and
(3) is a resident in the county and in the polling precinct in which the elector offers to vote.
(B) A person is disqualified from being registered or voting if he:
(1) is mentally incompetent as adjudicated by a court of competent jurisdiction; or
(2) is serving a term of imprisonment resulting from a conviction of a crime; or
(3) is convicted of a felony or offenses against the election laws, unless the disqualification has been removed by service of the sentence, including probation and parole time unless sooner pardoned."
Citizen not attaining age to vote
SECTION 2. Section 7-5-180 of the 1976 Code, as last amended by Act 589 of 1988, is further amended to read:
"Section 7-5-180. Except as otherwise provided by law, a person who has not attained the age of eighteen years before the closing of the books of registration preceding any election, including presidential primary elections, but attains that age before the next ensuing election appears before the board of registration and makes application for registration, under oath as to the facts above stated entitling a person to registration, the board shall register the applicant, if he is otherwise qualified. Any person not laboring under the disabilities named in the Constitution and in Section 7-5-120 and whose qualification as an elector is completed after the closing of the registration books, but before the next ensuing election, has the right to apply for and secure registration at any time within one hundred twenty days immediately preceding the closing of the books for the election or for the primary election preceding the election. Written notification of approval or rejection must be issued personally or mailed by the board to each applicant on a form to be prescribed and provided by the State Election Commission. The decision of the board of registration may be appealed as provided by Section 7-5-230."
Time effective
SECTION 3. This act takes effect on the ratification of the amendment to Section 4, Article II of the Constitution of this State to change the age qualification to vote.
Approved the 4th day of June, 1996.