Faced with paying to replace five elected officials, and eying a State House corruption probe that could kick out more, the S.C. State Election Commission has decided it needs more cash. The office that runs S.C. elections is seeking permission from state lawmakers to dip into two pots of state money — roughly $255,000 — left over from other election programs. The rare request comes because of concerns about the volume of special elections the commission must bankroll this year. “You never know how many you’re going to have,” Election Commission spokesman Chris Whitmire said. “Someone could die. Someone could be convicted or resign. That’s out of our control.
“Historically, we have a handful of them a year. This year, we’re already at a handful, and we’ve got about nine more months to go.”
Election officials are concerned about paying for five major special elections already scheduled, a “domino effect” of additional special elections for low-ranking seats vacated by politicians seeking higher ones, and a potential wave of special elections to replace lawmakers ensnared by an ongoing State House corruption probe.
Full Article: SC Election Commission seeks more money for onslaught of special elections | The State.