BY ABRAHAM KENMORE 

COLUMBIA — 

Legislation that could have increased turnout in South Carolina’s local elections while speeding up Election Day tallying died in the final minutes of this year’s regular session, despite both chambers approving it overwhelmingly. The bill would have consolidated all municipal elections to two days yearly — a Tuesday in early April or November — and required county election offices to take over running elections for towns and cities that want to transfer the responsibility. 

The idea behind the consolidation was to reduce the time and money needed to run elections, while also improving turnout in contests voters often simply don’t know about because they’re so sporadic.It could have also possibly improved interest in candidates wanting to compete. 

Another provision added by senators would’ve allowed early voting results to be uploaded at 7 a.m. on Election Day instead of 7 p.m. — allowing for a quicker turnaround of results once polls close. 

The House voted unanimously to pass the bill in April 2023. But the Senate didn’t take it up for a floor vote until May 8. It cleared the chamber with a 38-4 vote a day later — the last day of the regular session. But since the Senate made changes, the bill had to return to the House for a final vote of agreement. 

With the clock ticking toward the mandated 5 p.m. close of the session, the House needed unanimous approval to take up the bill. And Rep. Rob Harris, a member of the chamber’s hard-right Freedom Caucus, objected, killing it.

What’s in the budget? 

The one thing legislators must do in the extended session is finalize a state spending plan for the fiscal year starting July 1. Negotiations between the chambers’ differing proposals officially started Tuesday. 

Lynn Teague with the state League of Women Voters said more state funding for local elections would be helpful. 

“The state, and to some extent the feds, call the shots, and then the counties get beat up if something goes wrong,” she said. “We believe more consistency is required in municipal elections,” Teague said.