South Carolina General Assembly
121st Session, 2015-2016

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H. 5295

STATUS INFORMATION

General Bill
Sponsors: Reps. Stringer, Corley, Bedingfield, G.R. Smith, Burns, Collins, Putnam, Merrill, J.E. Smith, Taylor, Bradley, Finlay, Hill, W.J. McLeod and Willis
Document Path: l:\council\bills\ggs\22842zw16.docx

Introduced in the House on April 28, 2016
Currently residing in the House Committee on Judiciary

Summary: Presidential electors declaring for a candidate

HISTORY OF LEGISLATIVE ACTIONS

     Date      Body   Action Description with journal page number
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   4/28/2016  House   Introduced and read first time (House Journal-page 10)
   4/28/2016  House   Referred to Committee on Judiciary 
                        (House Journal-page 10)

View the latest legislative information at the website

VERSIONS OF THIS BILL

4/28/2016

(Text matches printed bills. Document has been reformatted to meet World Wide Web specifications.)

A BILL

TO AMEND SECTION 7-19-80, CODE OF LAWS OF SOUTH CAROLINA, 1976, RELATING TO PRESIDENTIAL ELECTORS DECLARING FOR A CANDIDATE, SO AS TO REMOVE THE EXCEPTION THAT ALLOWS THE PARTY EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE TO RELIEVE AN ELECTOR FROM THE OBLIGATION TO VOTE FOR A SPECIFIC CANDIDATE UNDER CERTAIN CIRCUMSTANCES.

Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the State of South Carolina:

SECTION    1.    Section 7-19-80 of the 1976 Code is amended to read:

"Section 7-19-80.    Each candidate for presidential and vice-presidential elector shall declare which candidate for president and vice-president he will vote for if elected. Those elected shall vote for the president and vice-president candidates for whom they declared. Any A person selected to fill a vacancy in the electoral college shall vote for the candidates the elector whose place he is taking had declared for. The declaration shall must be made to the Secretary of State on such the form as he may require required not later than sixty days prior to the general election for electors. No A candidate for president and vice-president elector shall may not have his name placed on the ballot who if he fails to make such a declaration by the prescribed time. Any An elector who votes contrary to the provisions of this section shall must be deemed guilty of violating the election laws of this State and upon conviction shall must be punished according to law. Any A registered elector shall have has the right to institute proper action to require compliance with the provisions of this section. The Attorney General shall institute criminal action for any a violation of the provision of this section. Provided, the executive committee of the party from which an elector of the electoral college was elected may relieve the elector from the obligation to vote for a specific candidate when, in its judgment, circumstances shall have arisen which, in the opinion of the committee, it would not be in the best interest of the State for the elector to cast his ballot for such a candidate."

SECTION    2.    This act takes effect upon approval by the Governor.

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This web page was last updated on May 3, 2016 at 11:16 AM