Current Status Introducing Body:Senate Bill Number:1041 Primary Sponsor:Passailaigue Committee Number:11 Type of Legislation:GB Subject:Kids Vote Residing Body:Senate Current Committee:Judiciary Computer Document Number:1041 Introduced Date:Jun 06, 1991 Last History Body:Senate Last History Date:Jun 06, 1991 Last History Type:Introduced, read first time, referred to Committee Scope of Legislation:Statewide All Sponsors:Passailaigue Type of Legislation:General Bill
Bill Body Date Action Description CMN
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1041 Senate Jun 06, 1991 Introduced, read first time, 11
referred to Committee
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TO AMEND CHAPTER 29, TITLE 59, CODE OF LAWS OF SOUTH CAROLINA, 1976, BY ADDING SECTIONS 59-29-300 THROUGH 59-29-340, TO ESTABLISH KIDS VOTE, A PROGRAM WHICH ALLOWS YOUNG SOUTH CAROLINIANS TO PARTICIPATE IN THE DEMOCRATIC PROCESS BY CASTING MOCK BALLOTS; AND TO AMEND SECTION 7-13-770 OF THE 1976 CODE, RELATING TO PERSONS ALLOWED WITHIN THE POLLING AREA GUARD RAIL SO AS TO ALLOW MINORS PARTICIPATING IN KIDS VOTE WITHIN THE GUARD RAIL AND ACCESS TO VOTING BOOTHS.
Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the State of South Carolina:
SECTION 1. Chapter 29 of Title 59 is amended by adding:
"Section 59-29-300 (A). There is hereby created Kids Vote, a mock ballot program for minors. Kids Vote shall provide young South Carolinians direct experience in the democratic process of voting, to increase the likelihood that students will participate as adult voters, and shall encourage more parents to participate in the electoral process.
(B) The State Superintendent of Education shall solicit schools throughout the State to participate in Kids Vote. The State Superintendent of Education shall determine the criteria for designating participating schools. The criteria shall include a recognition of South Carolina's culturally and geographically diverse communities from among those schools electing to participate. The State Superintendent of Education, after conferring with the elections officers and county superintendents of schools in the counties wherein the schools are located, may designate one or more schools to participate in the program. A designated school may decline to participate in the program at any time by notifying the State Superintendent of Education.
Section 59-29-310. The State Superintendent shall compile from existing materials an appropriate curriculum and related materials for instructing students on the electoral process, the importance of voting, and how to mark and cast a ballot. The curriculum shall include a study of issues of current interest, simplified as appropriate for the grade level involved. The curriculum shall be presented to participating schools in a neutral and informative manner so as not to create a bias for or against any political party or candidate or measure on any ballot.
Section 59-29-320. The schools jointly designated by the State Superintendent of Education to participate in the program shall provide in a timely manner the required instruction to students participating in the program in order to enable them to cast facsimile or mock ballots. The schools shall also provide related materials to the parents, guardians, or adults who will be eligible to participate with students in this program informing them about Kids Vote and how to participate in it. The instructions shall include voter registration information and information about deadlines to register to vote in the upcoming election in which the Kids Vote program is being conducted.
Section 59-29-330. The State Superintendent of Education, for each county in which a school participating in the program is located, shall work with the county elections officials and the county superintendents to accomplish, notwithstanding any other provision of law, all of the following, in a manner that will not impede the normal voting process, and using routinely established procedures as much as possible:
(a) permit the distribution of facsimile or mock ballots at regularly designated polling places by precinct board members to participating students who are accompanied by a parent or guardian or other adult who is voting in the election;
(b) permit participating students to enter a voting booth at a polling place to cast a facsimile or mock ballot; and
(c) count the ballots cast by participating students and announce the results to the schools participating in the program.
Section 59-29-340. No appropriation of public funds shall be made or augmented by any governmental agency for the specific purpose of implementing Kids Vote. No public funds shall be used by any governmental agency for the purpose of administering, or participating in, the program created by Section 59-29-300. Kids Vote shall be designed and implemented, with respect to any election, only to the extent funding is available for that purpose from nonpublic sources. However, the Secretary of State, notwithstanding any other provision of law, may solicit, receive, and disburse funding received from nonpublic sources to pay for costs associated with implementing this chapter, including costs incurred by schools and county elections officials participating in the program."
SECTION 2. Section 7-13-770 of the 1976 Code is amended to read:
"Section 7-13-770. (A) No person other than a voter preparing his ballot is allowed within the guard rail, except as provided in this section. A voter who requires assistance to vote by reason of blindness, disability, or inability to read or write shall make the fact known to the managers. The chairman of the managers shall appoint one of the managers and any person of the voter's choice, other than the voter's employer or agent of that employer or officer or agent of the voter's union to assist the voter in preparing his ballot. After the voter's ballot has been prepared, the person chosen by the voter to assist him shall immediately leave the vicinity of the guard rail. In lieu of the above assistance a person may have a member of his family or, in the case of a blind voter, any person of his choosing render him assistance in voting without the presence of a manager. The term `family' means spouse, father, mother, son, daughter, brother, sister, grandfather, grandmother, grandson, granddaughter, aunt, uncle, niece, or nephew.
(B) A minor is allowed within the guard rail and the voting booths in order to participate in a privately sponsored voter education program pursuant to Section 59-29-300 provided that the minor is accompanied by his parent or guardian. This program, sponsored by private individuals and organizations, is intended to educate minors in the voting process so that on election day they may participate in a simulated election at the polling place.
The State Election Commission and local election commissions shall cooperate with the State Superintendent of Education to implement this program."
SECTION 3. This act takes effect upon approval by the Governor.