A bill meant to prevent another ballot-tossing election mess is heading to the South Carolina House. The Senate had a third reading Wednesday for legislation syncing the candidate filing process for incumbents and those seeking to be officeholders. It also allows those who don’t file properly to pay a fine and remain on the ballot, as long as they fix it before primaries. “We fixed it!” said Senate Judiciary Chairman Larry Martin, R-Pickens, noting that the bill is designed to address only last year’s election debacle. “I tried to keep from wading into the weeds. We needed to respond and address what happened last year.”
About 250 candidates were kicked off primary ballots last June after back-to-back decisions from the state Supreme Court over improperly filed financial forms. Their ouster stemmed from confusion over a 2010 law requiring online filing, which failed to match up separate sections of state law.
The bill received tentative approval in the Senate last Thursday, but debate continued on the specifics. A compromise on who would receive candidates’ paperwork allowed the bill to advance to the House. It directs candidates to give their candidacy statement and pay fees at their county election office, rather than to local party leaders.
Full Article: South Carolina Senate passes election law fix | Aiken Standard.