H 3680 General Bill, By Mack, Cobb-Hunter, J.H. Neal, Brantley, Breeland, 
Hodges and Vick

Similar(S 251)
 A BILL TO AMEND SECTIONS 7-5-150 AND 7-15-120, BOTH AS AMENDED, CODE OF LAWS
 OF SOUTH CAROLINA, 1976, RELATING TO THE CLOSING OF VOTER REGISTRATION BOOKS
 AND ABSENTEE VOTER REGISTRATION FORMS, SO AS TO REDUCE FROM THIRTY DAYS TO
 TWENTY-ONE DAYS BEFORE THE ELECTION THE DEADLINE FOR VOTER REGISTRATION.

   03/08/07  House  Introduced and read first time HJ-12
   03/08/07  House  Referred to Committee on Judiciary HJ-13

TO AMEND SECTIONS 7-5-150 AND 7-15-120, BOTH AS AMENDED, CODE OF LAWS OF SOUTH CAROLINA, 1976, RELATING TO THE CLOSING OF VOTER REGISTRATION BOOKS AND ABSENTEE VOTER REGISTRATION FORMS, SO AS TO REDUCE FROM THIRTY DAYS TO TWENTY-ONE DAYS BEFORE THE ELECTION THE DEADLINE FOR VOTER REGISTRATION.

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

SECTION    1.    Section 7-5-150 of the 1976 Code, as last amended by Act 222 of 1996, is further amended to read:

"Section 7-5-150.    The registration books shall must be closed thirty days twenty-one days before each election, but only as to that election or any second race or runoff resulting from that election, and shall remain remains closed until the election has taken place, anything in this article to the contrary notwithstanding; provided, that the registration books shall must be closed thirty days twenty-one days before the June primary and shall remain remains closed until after the second primary and shall likewise must be closed thirty days twenty-one days before the November general election. They shall thereafter The registration books must be opened from time to time as necessary in accordance with the provisions of this article. Any A person eligible to register who has been discharged or separated from his service in the Armed Forces of the United States, and returned home too late to register at the time when registration is required, is entitled to register for the purpose of voting in the next ensuing election after the discharge or separation from service, up to 5:00 p.m. on the day of the election. This application for registration must be made at the office of the board of voter registration in the county in which the person wishes to register, and if qualified, the person must be issued a registration notification stating the precinct in which he is entitled to vote and a certification to the managers of the precinct that he is entitled to vote and should must be placed on the registration rolls of the precinct. Persons A person who become becomes of age during this period of thirty days shall be twenty-one days is entitled to register before the closing of the books if otherwise qualified."

SECTION    2.    Section 7-15-120 of the 1976 Code, as last amended by Act 434 of 1996, is further amended to read:

"Section 7-15-120.    Persons A person listed in Section 7-15-110, their spouses spouse, and dependents residing with them, may register by using either federal Standard Form 76, or any subsequent form replacing it issued by the federal government. In order to be registered, either form must reach the county board of registration not later than thirty days twenty-one days before the election."

SECTION    3.    This act takes effect upon approval by the Governor.