S 1210 General Bill, By Glover, Drummond, Holland, Land and Matthews
 A Bill to amend Section 7-3-20, Code of Laws of South Carolina, 1976, relating
 to the duties of the Executive Director of the State Election Commission, so
 as to delete the provision which requires the Executive Director to delete the
 name of any elector who has failed to vote in each of two consecutive
 state-wide general elections and also failed to vote in any other election
 which might have been held in the precinct in which he is registered within
 the period of time intervening between the two general elections; and to amend
 Section 7-3-30 relating to the notice of deletion of an elector's name from
 the roster of electors, so as to delete the provision requiring the county
 board of voter registration, upon appeal of the voter, to restore the name of
 a person whose name was deleted solely because he failed to vote in each of
 two consecutive state-wide general elections.

   03/05/96  Senate Introduced and read first time SJ-3
   03/05/96  Senate Referred to Committee on Judiciary SJ-3
   03/21/96  Senate Committee report: Favorable with amendment
                     Judiciary SJ-15
   03/26/96  Senate Amended SJ-57
   03/26/96  Senate Read second time SJ-57
   03/27/96  Senate Read third time and sent to House SJ-20
   03/28/96  House  Introduced and read first time HJ-11
   03/28/96  House  Referred to Committee on Judiciary HJ-11

COMMITTEE AMENDMENT ADOPTED

March 26, 1996

S. 1210

Introduced by SENATORS Jackson, Holland, Drummond, Land, Matthews and Glover

S. Printed 3/26/96--S.

Read the first time March 5, 1996.

A BILL

TO AMEND SECTION 7-3-20, CODE OF LAWS OF SOUTH CAROLINA, 1976, RELATING TO THE DUTIES OF THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF THE STATE ELECTION COMMISSION, SO AS TO DELETE THE PROVISION WHICH REQUIRES THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR TO DELETE THE NAME OF ANY ELECTOR WHO HAS FAILED TO VOTE IN EACH OF TWO CONSECUTIVE STATE-WIDE GENERAL ELECTIONS AND ALSO FAILED TO VOTE IN ANY OTHER ELECTION WHICH MIGHT HAVE BEEN HELD IN THE PRECINCT IN WHICH HE IS REGISTERED WITHIN THE PERIOD OF TIME INTERVENING BETWEEN THE TWO GENERAL ELECTIONS; AND TO AMEND SECTION 7-3-30 RELATING TO THE NOTICE OF DELETION OF AN ELECTOR'S NAME FROM THE ROSTER OF ELECTORS, SO AS TO DELETE THE PROVISION REQUIRING THE COUNTY BOARD OF VOTER REGISTRATION, UPON APPEAL OF THE VOTER, TO RESTORE THE NAME OF A PERSON WHOSE NAME WAS DELETED SOLELY BECAUSE HE FAILED TO VOTE IN EACH OF TWO CONSECUTIVE STATEWIDE GENERAL ELECTIONS.

Amend Title To Conform

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

SECTION 1. Section 7-3-20 of the 1976 Code is amended to read:

"Section 7-3-20. (A) The State Election Commission shall elect an executive director who shall be directly responsible to the Commission commission and who shall serve at the pleasure of the Commission commission. The executive director shall be the chief administrative officer for the State Election Commission.

(B) The executive director shall receive such compensation and employ such staff, subject to the approval of the State Election Commission, as may be provided by law.

(C) The executive director shall:

(1) Maintain a complete roster of all qualified electors by county and by precincts;

(2) Delete the name of any elector (a) who is deceased, (b) who is no longer qualified to vote in the precinct where currently registered, (c) who has been convicted of a disqualifying crime, or (d) who is otherwise no longer qualified to vote as may be provided by law, or (e) who requests in writing that his name be removed;

(3) For the purpose of removing from the roster the names of electors who are presumed to be no longer qualified to vote in the precinct where registered, delete the name of any elector who has failed to vote in each of two consecutive State-wide general elections and also failed to vote in any other election which might have been held in the precinct in which he is registered within the period of time intervening between the two general elections;

(4) Enter names on the various rosters as they are reported by the county registration boards;

(54) Furnish each county registration board with a master list of all registered voters in the county, together with three copies of all registered voters in each precinct of the county, at least ten days prior to each election. The precinct copies shall be used as the official list of voters;

(65) Maintain all information furnished his office relating to the inclusion or deletion of names from the rosters for four years;

(76) Purchase, lease or contract for the use of such equipment as may be necessary to properly execute the duties of his office, subject to the approval of the State Election Commission;

(87) Secure from the United States courts in South Carolina and Federal federal agencies available information as to persons convicted of disqualifying crimes;

(98) Obtain information from any other source which may assist him in carrying out the purposes of this section;

(109) Perform such other duties relating to elections as may be assigned him by the State Election Commission; and

(1110) Furnish at reasonable price any and all precinct lists to any qualified elector requesting same."

SECTION 2. Section 7-3-30 of the 1976 is amended to read:

"Section 7-3-30. (a) The executive director shall notify by mail each elector at the address last filed in the office, whose name has been deleted. The notice shall state the reason for the deletion and inform the elector of his right to appeal to the county board of registration and the time in which to perfect such appeal. A copy of such notice shall be forwarded to the appropriate county board of registration.

(b) Each elector whose name has been deleted shall have twenty days from the date such notice is mailed in which to appeal. The appeal shall be to the county board of registration from whose roster the deletion has been made. If the board determines that the elector's name should not have been deleted, it shall instruct the central registration office to restore his name to the registration books; provided, however, that if the elector's name has been deleted solely by reason of his failure to vote as provided in Section 7-3-20 (C) (3), his name shall be restored as a matter of course to the registration books upon his request if he shall be otherwise qualified deletion is for conviction, the appeal must be to the Executive Director of the State Election Commission."

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