Indicates Matter Stricken

Indicates New Matter

Introduced

February 21, 2023

H. 3961

Introduced by Reps. Murphy, Brewer, Gatch, Jefferson and Robbins

L. Printed 02/21/23--S.

Read the first time February 21, 2023

________

A bill

TO AMEND ACT 535 OF 1982, AS AMENDED, RELATING TO THE ELECTION OF THE SEVEN MEMBERS OF THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES OF SUMMERVILLE SCHOOL DISTRICT 2 OF DORCHESTER COUNTY, SO AS TO CHANGE THE METHOD OF ELECTING FROM AT- LARGE TO SINGLE-MEMBER DISTRICTS, TO DESIGNATE A MAP NUMBER ON WHICH THESE SINGLE-MEMBER ELECTION DISTRICTS ARE DELINEATED, to change the candidate filing method, and TO PROVIDE DEMOGRAPHIC INFORMATION FOR THE NEWLY DRAWN ELECTION DISTRICTS.

Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the State of South Carolina:

SECTION 1.    Section 2(b) of Act 535 of 1982, as last amended by Act 445 of 2000, is further amended to read:

   (b)   Beginning January 1, 1983, the Board of Trustees of Summerville School District 2 shall consist of seven members who must be residents of the district they represent and who must be elected at large by the qualified electors of that district. Members of the board must be elected in a nonpartisan election conducted by the county election commission at the time of the 1982 General Election. The seven candidates receiving the highest number of votes are elected. The four elected members of the board receiving the highest vote shall serve terms of four years and the three elected members receiving the next highest vote shall serve initial terms of two years each. Thereafter, their successors must be elected in nonpartisan elections held at the time of the general election every two years, as terms expire, for terms of four years. All members of the board shall serve until their successors are elected and qualify. Vacancies on the board must be filled by appointment upon a majority vote of the members of the House of Representatives and a majority of the Senators representing District 2 until the next general election, at which time a successor must be elected in the same manner provided in this act for the unexpired term or for a full term as the case may be. Any person who wishes to become a candidate for election to the board shall file a petition containing the signatures of at least two hundred fifty qualified electors residing in the district with the Dorchester County Election Commission not later than twelve o'clock noon on July fifteenth or, if July fifteenth falls on Saturday or Sunday, not later than twelve o'clock noon on the following Monday. Except for the number of signatures required, the petition must meet the requirements of Article 1, Chapter 11, Title 7 of the 1976 Code. When certified,

the commission shall place the name of the candidate on the ballot without regard to party affiliation.

   A separate, nonpartisan ballot must be used for the election of the board. It shall comply substantially with the provisions of Article 3, Chapter 13, Title 7 of the 1976 Code, mutatis mutandis. The expenses of the election must be borne by the district.(1) Notwithstanding another provision of law, the Board of Trustees of Summerville School District 2 must be governed by a seven-member board of trustees. Beginning with the 2024 General Election, each of the seven members of the Summerville School District 2 Board of Trustees must be elected in nonpartisan elections to be conducted at the same time as the general election every two to four years thereafter, except as may be provided to stagger the members' terms. The board members must be elected by the qualified electors of Summerville School District 2 from one of the seven defined single-member districts as shown on the Summerville School District 2 map on file with the Revenue and Fiscal Affairs Office and designated as document S-35-02-23. This map, unless subsequently amended by the General Assembly or a court of competent jurisdiction, must be used for school district elections beginning with the 2024 General Election and to fill any vacancies that occur following the 2024 school district elections. A board member representing a numbered district must be a resident of the school district and the numbered single-member district from which he is elected, and only those electors residing in the particular district are eligible to vote for the trustee who will represent the district.

      (2) Notwithstanding another provision of law, the seven incumbent members of the Board of Trustees of Summerville School District 2 holding office on June 30, 2024, shall serve until their successors are elected in the 2024 school district elections and qualify. These incumbent board members may seek election to the Board of Trustees of Summerville School District 2 in the 2024 school district elections.

      (3) The members of the Board of Trustees of Summerville School District 2 must be elected to four-year terms and until their successors are elected and qualify, except that of the seven board members elected in the 2024 school district elections, all members elected to even-numbered districts shall serve initial two-year terms to expire in November of 2026, when their successors are elected in the 2026 school district elections and qualify, and all members elected to odd-numbered districts shall serve full four-year terms and until their successors are elected in the 2028 school district elections and qualify.

      (4) Vacancies on the board must be filled by appointment upon a majority vote of the members of the House of Representatives and a majority of the Senators representing Summerville School District 2 until the next general election, at which time a successor must be elected in the same manner provided in this act for the unexpired term or for a full term as the case may be.

      (5) Any person who wishes to become a candidate for election to the Board of Trustees of Summerville School District 2 shall file a statement of intention of candidacy with the Dorchester County Board of Voter Registration and Elections as provided in Section 7-13-352.

      (6) The results of the school district elections must be determined by the nonpartisan plurality method pursuant to Section 5-15-61.

      (7) The demographic information for each of the seven single-member districts shown on the Summerville School District 2 map is as follows:

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                

6	District	Pop.	Dev.	%Dev.	Hisp.	%Hisp.
7	1	20,949	192	0.92%	977	4.66%
8	2	21,561	804	3.87%	1,500	6.96%
9	3	19,856	-901	-4.34%	2,479	12.48%
10	4	20,762	5	0.02%	1,517	7.31%
11	5	21,296	539	2.60%	1,366	6.41%
12	6	20,187	-570	-2.75%	1,027	5.09%
13	7	20,689	-68	-0.33%	1,555	7.52%
14	Totals	145,300			10,421	7.17%

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                               

16	District	NH White	%NH White	NH Blk.	%NH Blk.	VAP	%VAP
17	1	14,818	70.73%	3,943	18.82%	15,211	72.61%
18	2	12,500	57.98%	5,774	26.78%	16,505	76.55%
19	3	9,744	49.07%	5,759	29.00%	14,246	71.75%
20	4	11,963	57.62%	5,570	26.83%	15,425	74.29%
21	5	14,447	67.84%	4,138	19.43%	16,204	76.09%
22	6	13,246	65.62%	4,695	23.26%	15,505	76.81%
23	7	14,091	68.11%	3,839	18.56%	14,937	72.20%
24	Totals	90,809	62.50%	33,718	23.21%	108,033

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                               

26	District	HVAP	%HVAP	WVAP	%WVAP	BVAP	%BVAP
27	1	595	3.91%	11,022	72.46%	2,799	18.40%
28	2	940	5.70%	10,100	61.19%	4,196	25.42%
29	3	1,589	11.15%	7,444	52.25%	3,883	27.26%
30	4	975	6.32%	9,455	61.30%	3,800	24.64%
31	5	810	5.00%	11,596	71.56%	2,872	17.72%
32	6	639	4.12%	10,666	68.79%	3,357	21.65%
33	7	928	6.21%	10,637	71.21%	2,525	16.90%
34	Totals	6,476	5.99%	70,920	65.65%	23,432	21.69%

SECTION 2.    The exterior boundaries of Summerville School District 2 are not altered by the provisions of this act. These school district lines are as defined by law and any census blocks which may be divided are done so only for statistical purposes and to establish a population base.

SECTION 3.   This act takes effect upon approval by the Governor.

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