H 3010 General Bill, By Huggins, Southard and Long
 A BILL TO AMEND SECTION 7-13-860, AS AMENDED, CODE OF LAWS OF SOUTH CAROLINA,
 1976, RELATING TO THE APPOINTMENT, QUALIFICATION, IDENTIFICATION, AND CONDUCT
 OF A POLL WATCHER, SO AS TO PROVIDE THAT A POLL WATCHER MUST BE A QUALIFIED
 VOTER IN THE STATE OF SOUTH CAROLINA.

   12/11/12  House  Prefiled
   12/11/12  House  Referred to Committee on Judiciary
   01/08/13  House  Introduced and read first time (House Journal-page 43)
   01/08/13  House  Referred to Committee on Judiciary
                     (House Journal-page 43)

TO AMEND SECTION 7-13-860, AS AMENDED, CODE OF LAWS OF SOUTH CAROLINA, 1976, RELATING TO THE APPOINTMENT, QUALIFICATION, IDENTIFICATION, AND CONDUCT OF A POLL WATCHER, SO AS TO PROVIDE THAT A POLL WATCHER MUST BE A QUALIFIED VOTER IN THE STATE OF SOUTH CAROLINA.

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

SECTION    1.    Section 7-13-860 of the 1976 Code, as last amended by Act 434 of 1996, is further amended to read:

"Section 7-13-860.    Each candidate who is not unopposed in a primary and each nonpartisan candidate, including an announced write-in candidatescandidate in a general or special election, may appoint a poll watcher for any voting place where his name appears on the ballot. However, in anya general or special election, all candidates who are certified by a political party must be jointly represented at each polling place by not more than two poll watchers from the party for each one thousand registered voters or fraction thereofof a thousand voters registered at the polling place. Each poll watcher appointed hereunder must be a qualified voter in the county where he is to watchState of South Carolina, and must be certified, in writing, to the managers of the voting precinct to which assigned. This certification must be signed by the primary or nonpartisan candidate or, in the case of poll watchers jointly representing all candidates of a political party, by an appropriate party official. Poll watchers must, at all times, wear visible identification specifying the candidate or party, as appropriate, which they represent. The identification badge of a poll watcher may not exceed four and one-fourth inches by four and one-fourth inches with individual letters on the badge not exceeding one-quarter inch in height or width. Badges may not be a color that has a fluorescent quality. After qualification, poll watchers must be placed in an area designated by the poll managers where the poll watchers can observe the entire election process at that polling place. NoA poll watcher may not conduct himself in a manner that will interfere in the orderly conduct of the election or influence anya voter in the casting of his ballot."

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