Bill 3499

                    Current Status

Bill Number:               3499
Ratification Number:       155
Act Number                 98
Introducing Body:          House
Subject:                   Nomination and election of soil and water
                           conservation district commissioners

(A98, R155, H3499)

AN ACT TO AMEND SECTION 48-9-1220, AS AMENDED, CODE OF LAWS OF SOUTH CAROLINA, 1976, RELATING TO THE NOMINATION AND ELECTION OF SOIL AND WATER CONSERVATION DISTRICT COMMISSIONERS, SO AS TO REVISE THE DATE WHEN THE NUMBER OF QUALIFIED ELECTORS IN THE DISTRICT IS ASCERTAINED FOR PURPOSES OF DETERMINING WHETHER OR NOT A NOMINATION PETITION CONTAINS A SUFFICIENT NUMBER OF SIGNATURES.

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

Date revised

SECTION 1. Section 48-9-1220 of the 1976 Code, as last amended by Act 350 of 1988, is further amended to read:

"Section 48-9-1220. Effective November, 1982, and in November of the appropriate years thereafter three commissioners from each district must be elected. The election must be nonpartisan and must be conducted by the county election commission at the same time as other county officers are elected in the general election.

To be placed on the ballot for county offices, each candidate shall submit to the county election commission a nominating petition with the signatures of one hundred qualified registered electors or one percent of the qualified registered electors of the district, whichever is lesser.

The official number of qualified registered electors of the geographical area of any office is the number of registered electors of the area registered one hundred twenty days before the date of the election for which the nomination petition is being submitted.

The nominees in the petition must be placed on the appropriate official ballot for the election if the petition is submitted to the county election commission not later than twelve noon on August first or, if August first falls on Sunday, not later than twelve noon on the following Monday. The form of the petition must comply with the requirements in Section 7-11-80 pertaining to the conduct of general elections not conflicting with this section. Candidates must be qualified registered electors and residents of the district in which elected.

The three candidates who receive the largest number of votes cast in the election are elected and shall assume office the following February first.

This election must be conducted pursuant to Title 7, mutatis mutandi, except as otherwise provided for in this section.

Effective with the 1990 election, the two candidates who receive the highest number of votes shall serve for terms of four years each and the other candidate who receives the next highest number of votes shall serve for a term of two years. Thereafter, their successors must be elected in a nonpartisan election to be held at the same time as the general election for terms of four years each."

Time effective

SECTION 2. This act takes effect upon approval by the Governor.