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A113, R121, S694
STATUS INFORMATION
General Bill
Sponsors: Senator Young
Document Path: SJ-0013PB26.docx
Introduced in the Senate on January 13, 2026
Introduced in the House on March 5, 2026
Last Amended on March 26, 2026
Currently residing in the Senate
Governor's Action: April 6, 2026, Signed
Summary: Polling Places in Aiken County
HISTORY OF LEGISLATIVE ACTIONS
| Date | Body | Action Description with journal page number |
|---|---|---|
| 12/10/2025 | Senate | Prefiled |
| 12/10/2025 | Senate | Referred to Committee on Judiciary |
| 1/13/2026 | Senate | Introduced and read first time (Senate Journal-page 19) |
| 1/13/2026 | Senate | Referred to Committee on Judiciary (Senate Journal-page 19) |
| 2/18/2026 | Senate | Committee report: Favorable Judiciary (Senate Journal-page 8) |
| 3/3/2026 | Senate | Amended (Senate Journal-page 10) |
| 3/3/2026 | Senate | Read second time (Senate Journal-page 10) |
| 3/3/2026 | Senate | Roll call Ayes-43 Nays-0 (Senate Journal-page 10) |
| 3/4/2026 | Senate | Read third time and sent to House (Senate Journal-page 32) |
| 3/5/2026 | House | Introduced and read first time (House Journal-page 35) |
| 3/5/2026 | House | Referred to Aiken Delegation (House Journal-page 35) |
| 3/25/2026 | House | Delegation report: Favorable Aiken Delegation (House Journal-page 2) |
| 3/26/2026 | Scrivener's error corrected | |
| 3/26/2026 | House | Amended (House Journal-page 34) |
| 3/26/2026 | House | Read second time (House Journal-page 34) |
| 3/26/2026 | House | Roll call Yeas-105 Nays-1 (House Journal-page 35) |
| 3/26/2026 | House | Unanimous consent for third reading on next legislative day (House Journal-page 36) |
| 3/27/2026 | House | Read third time and returned to Senate with amendments (House Journal-page 1) |
| 4/1/2026 | Senate | Concurred in House amendment and enrolled (Senate Journal-page 59) |
| 4/1/2026 | Senate | Roll call Ayes-41 Nays-0 (Senate Journal-page 59) |
| 4/1/2026 | Ratified R 121 | |
| 4/6/2026 | Signed By Governor | |
| 4/23/2026 | Effective date 04/06/26 | |
| 4/23/2026 | Act No. 113 |
View the latest legislative information at the website
VERSIONS OF THIS BILL
12/10/2025
02/18/2026
03/03/2026
03/25/2026
03/26/2026
03/26/2026-A
(A113, R121, S694)
AN ACT TO AMEND THE SOUTH CAROLINA CODE OF LAWS BY AMENDING SECTION 7-7-40, RELATING TO DESIGNATION OF VOTING PRECINCTS IN AIKEN COUNTY, SO AS TO PROVIDE THAT IF THE BOARD OF VOTER REGISTRATION AND ELECTIONS DETERMINES THAT A PRECINCT CONTAINS NO SUITABLE LOCATION FOR A POLLING PLACE, THE BOARD, UPON APPROVAL OF A MAJORITY OF THE COUNTY LEGISLATIVE DELEGATION, MAY LOCATE THE POLLING PLACE INSIDE THE COUNTY AND WITHIN FIVE MILES OF THE PRECINCT'S BOUNDARIES; AND BY AMENDING SECTION 5-15-60, RELATING TO MUNICIPALITIES ADOPTING METHODS OF NOMINATING CANDIDATES FOR AND DETERMINING RESULTS OF NONPARTISAN ELECTIONS, SO AS TO PROVIDE THAT ANY MUNICIPALITY WHICH ELECTS TO HOLD PARTISAN MUNICIPAL ELECTIONS MUST PAY ALL COSTS AND EXPENSES ASSOCIATED WITH THE CONDUCT OF A MUNICIPAL PRIMARY ELECTION.
Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the State of South Carolina:
Voting Precincts
SECTION 1. Section 7-7-40 of the S.C. Code is amended by adding a subsection to read:
(D) Notwithstanding the provisions of Section 7-7-920, if the Board of Voter Registration and Elections of Aiken County determines that a precinct contains no suitable location for a polling place, the board, upon approval by a majority of the county legislative delegation, may locate the polling place inside the county and within five miles of the precinct's boundaries.
Partisan municipal elections
SECTION 2. Section 5-15-60 of the S.C. Code is amended to read:
Section 5-15-60. Each municipality in this State shall adopt by ordinance one of the following alternative methods of nominating candidates for and determining the results of its nonpartisan elections:
(1) the nonpartisan plurality method prescribed in Section 5-15-61;
(2) the nonpartisan election and runoff election method prescribed in Section 5-15-62;
(3) the nonpartisan primary election and general election method prescribed in Section 5-15-63. If nonpartisan elections are not provided for, nomination of candidates for municipal offices may be by party primary, party convention or by petition in accordance with the provisions of this chapter, the applicable provisions of the state election laws and the rules of municipal political party organizations not in conflict therewith. Provided, any municipality which elects to hold partisan elections for municipal offices must pay all costs and expenses associated with the conduct of a municipal primary election.
Time effective
SECTION 3. This act takes effect upon approval by the Governor.
Ratified the 1st day of April, 2026.
Approved the 6th day of April, 2026.
This web page was last updated on April 29, 2026 at 3:14 PM