I began these messages several years ago following a subcommittee hearing on a bill to close our primaries by partisan affiliation. 

In our heavily gerrymandered state, this would effectively disenfranchise many South Carolina voters, but I was the only individual who appeared to testify against it. I was certain that other concerned organizations were not represented simply because they were unaware that this bill was being heard. That was my working hypothesis in developing these updates; it isn’t holding up well.

Yesterday, Drew McKissick, Chair of the SC Republican Party, signed up to testify for H. 3695, Closed Primaries. I signed up to testify against it. Time ran out after McKissick’s statement of support for the bill. This leaves the bill in an uncertain place. Next week the House is on furlough. Crossover is Monday. In the past, after crossover House Judiciary has sometimes concentrated entirely on bills sent over from the Senate, bills with a chance of passage this year. I do not know if this will be the strategy this year. The bill may or may not appear on a Constitutional Laws Subcommittee agenda again this year. 

H. 3734 would further standardize municipal elections, limiting the dates on which they can be held to three and requiring counties to administer elections for municipalities on request. This useful bill was forwarded with a favorable recommendation. 

H.3823 limits to five the number of absentee ballots a witness can sign. Weston Newton introduced an amendment to provide a limit of twenty for those in group living situations. However, debate was adjourned at a point when concerns were raised about the administrative burden this would place on election officials. The bill is, like H. 3695, in an uncertain status.