South Carolina State and Local Government

The Green Papers: State and Local Government

South Carolina

Governor:	1	(Term Limit: 2 consecutive 4-year terms)
Senators:	2	(Electoral Classes 2 and 3)
2000 Representatives:	6	(1.38% of 435)
2002 Representatives:	6	(1.38% of 435)
2004 Electors:	8	(1.50% of 535)
1990 Census:	3,486,310	(1.40% of 248,765,170)
2000 Census:	4,025,061	(1.43% of 281,998,273)
Registered Voters (2000):	2,157,006
Estimated Voting age population (2000):	2,977,000
Capital:	Columbia

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States Alphabetically Current South Carolina Statewide Office Holders


Official Name/Status All States
	The STATE of South Carolina
	Ratified Articles of Confederation: 9 July 1778.
	Ratified Constitution of the United States: 23 May 1788
	The 8th state.


Traditional Sections and Regions All States
	Section: SOUTH
	Region: Lower ["Deep"] South
	Survey: Metes & Bounds

Constitutions All States Links to State Constitutions

Enabling Act (of the Congress of the United States): [None. One of the 13 original States which declared their independence from the nascent British Empire on 4 July 1776]

• 1st (1776-1778) [Adopted: 26 March 1776 adopted by Provincial Congress (='de facto' legislature), Ratified: 26 March 1776 not submitted to the People]

• 2nd (1778-1790) [Adopted: 19 March 1778 drafted and enacted by the General Assembly, Ratified: 19 March 1778 not submitted to the People; effective, November 1778]

• 3rd (1790-1865) [Adopted: 3 June 1790, Ratified: 3 June 1790 not submitted to the People]

• 4th (1865-1868) [Adopted: 27 September 1865 Convention convened, 13 September 1865, Ratified: 27 September 1865 not submitted to the People]

• 5th (1868-1895) [Adopted: 17 March 1868 Convention convened, 14 January 1868, Ratified: 16 April 1868 ratified by a vote of 70,558 to 27,288]

• 6th (1896--) [Adopted: 4 December 1895 Convention convened, 10 September 1895, Ratified: 4 December 1895 not submitted to the People; effective, 1 January 1896]

Executive Branch All States

Chief Executive
	• GOVERNOR
Successor to a Vacancy
	• Lieutenant Governor [elected separately from GOVERNOR]

Major Executive Officers Elected Statewide All States 2008 Office holders
	• Governor: 4 year term, Election Cycle: 2002, 2006. Term Limit: 2 consecutive 4-year terms
	• Lieutenant Governor: 4 year term, Election Cycle: 2002, 2006
	• Secretary of State: 4 year term, Election Cycle: 2002, 2006
	• Attorney General: 4 year term, Election Cycle: 2002, 2006
	• Treasurer: 4 year term, Election Cycle: 2002, 2006
	• Comptroller General: 4 year term, Election Cycle: 2002, 2006
	• Adjutant General: 4 year term, Election Cycle: 2002, 2006
	• Commissioner of Agriculture: 4 year term, Election Cycle: 2002, 2006
	• Superintendent of Education: 4 year term, Election Cycle: 2002, 2006

Legislative Branch All States

Legislature
	• GENERAL ASSEMBLY

Upper House
	• Senate
Lower House
	• House of Representatives

Judicial Branch All States

Court of Last Resort
	• Supreme Court
Intermediate Appellate Court
	• Court of Appeals

Local Government


PRIMARY CIVIL DIVISION All States
	• County [Type: Strong, Executive and Legislative: COUNCIL]
	MINOR CIVIL DIVISION All States
		• township [Type: None, Executive and Legislative: no associated governmental structure]

Incorporated Municipalities All States

Statutory Election Information All States

General Election All States
	• Tuesday next after 1st Monday in November of even-numbered years [Code of Laws of SC 7-13-10]
Presidential Primary All States
	• NOTE: State Committee of Party wishing to hold a Presidential (either Preference or Advisory) Primary alone determines the date and polling hours of same [Code of Laws of SC 7-11-20 & 7-11-25]
State Primary All States
	• 2d Tuesday in June of even-numbered years [Code of Laws of SC 7-13-15 (7-13-40)] "Second Primary" (a "runoff" where no candidate in the Primary has received at least a majority of the vote): two weeks after the State Primary (that is, the 4th Tuesday in June of even-numbered years) [Code of Laws of SC 7-13-50 (7-13-40)]
Polling times All States
	• Polls open: 7 AM local time Polls close: 7 PM local time The polls must be opened at seven o'clock a.m. and closed at seven o'clock p.m. the day of election and must be held open during these hours without intermission or adjournment. [Code of Laws of SC 7-13-60]

Links Links to other web sites

Constitution
	• South Carolina Constitution
Election Authority
	• South Carolina's Voter Information Resource
Legislature
	• South Carolina House of Representatives
	• South Carolina Legislature
	• South Carolina Senate
Democratic
	• South Carolina Democratic Party
Republican
	• South Carolina Republican Party
Third Party
	• South Carolina Green Party
	• South Carolina Labor Party
	• South Carolina Libertarian Party
	• The Constitution Party of South Carolina
Media & others
	• Campaigns and Elections Magazine - scpols.com
	• Carolina Morning News - Bluffton
	• DC's Political Report - South Carolina
	• Greenville Magazine
	• Island Packet - Hilton Head
	• Lexington County Chronicle
	• Morning News - Florence, Myrtle Beach
	• Politics1.com - South Carolina
	• SC Hotline - South Carolinas for Responsible Government
	• South Carolina Citizens for Life (SCCL is a non-partisan, non-sectarian pro-life organization and is the state affiliate of the National Right to Life Committee)
	• South Carolina Headlines
	• Spartanburg Herald-Journal
	• The Beaufort Gazette
	• The Charlotte Observer
	• The Greenville News
	• The Herald - Rock Hill
	• The Item - Sumter
	• The Lancaster News
	• The Messinger - Hartsville
	• The News & Reporter - Chester County
	• The Post and Courier - Charleston
	• The State - Columbia
	• The Sun News - Myrtle Beach
	• The Times and Democrat - Orangeburg
	• The Union Daily Times
	• WCBD TV - NBC - Charleston
	• WCIV TV - ABC - Mount Pleasant
	• WCSC TV - CBS - Charleston
	• WLTX TV - CBS - Columbia
	• WOLO TV - ABC - Columbia