Should SC close partisan primary elections only to party members?

Should SC close partisan primary elections only to party members?

Type: 
Press Mention
Date of Release or Mention: 
Friday, January 16, 2026

Should SC close partisan primary elections only to bona fide party members? That fight is back.

Press Mention
Post and Courier: Palmetto Poilitics
Author: Nick Reynolds
 

Whether to close party primaries to only registered Democrats or Republicans is back as a battle in the Statehouse. Some — but not all — Republicans want it, while most Democrats don’t.

The League of Women Voters, in prepared testimony ahead of the upcoming hearings on the bill, argued that both proposals could potentially contribute to increased political polarization, which, in turn, could fuel lower voter turnout. 

League to which this content belongs: 
South Carolina