A bill

 

TO AMEND ACT 521 OF 1992, RELATING TO THE MANNER IN WHICH MEMBERS OF THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES OF THE SCHOOL DISTRICT OF GREENVILLE COUNTY ARE ELECTED, SO AS TO PROVIDE FOR PARTISAN TRUSTEE ELECTIONS BEGINNING IN 2026.

 

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

 

SECTION 1.  SECTION 1 of Act 521 of 1992 is amended to read:

 

SECTION 1.  Beginning with the 1992 2026 election, the Board of Trustees of the Greenville County School District consists of twelve members who must be elected in nonpartisan partisan elections to be held in the manner hereinafter provided by law. One member of the board must be a resident of and elected from each of the twelve defined single-member election districts established in Section 2 of this act. In the 1992 2026 election, members of the board must be elected from the odd-numbered districts for four-year terms. Thereafter, their successors also must be elected for four-year terms. The present members of the board who reside in the newly created even-numbered districts shall continue to be members of the board representing these respective districts until 1994 at which time they or their successors shall be elected for four-year terms In the 2028 election, members of the board must be elected from the even-numbered districts for four-year terms. All members of the board shall serve until their successors are elected and qualify. In the event of a vacancy on the board occurring for any reason other than expiration of a term, the board shall call a vacancy must be filled by special election pursuant to Section 7-13-190 to fill the unexpired term, so long as the vacancy does not occur within ten months of a regular trustee regularly scheduled November general election of an even-numbered year. In this case, the vacancy must be filled for the unexpired term or for a full term as appropriate at the next regular regularly scheduled general election.

    Each member of the board must be elected by the qualified electors of that district. Nominations for candidates to be elected in a general or special election may be by political party primary, political party convention, or petition. Candidates seeking nomination by political party primary or convention must file a statement of intention of candidacy, party pledge, and any filing fees pursuant to Section 7-11-15, and candidates or nominees must be certified as provided in Sections 7-13-40 and 7-13-350, as appropriate. Candidates seeking nomination by petition must submit the petition in accordance with Section 7-13-351. All persons desiring to qualify as a candidate shall file written notice of candidacy with the county election commission at least sixty days before the date set for the election but not earlier than ninety days before the election. This notice of candidacy must be a sworn statement and must include the candidate's name, age, residence address, voting precinct, period of residence in the election district from which election is sought, and other information as the county election commission requires.

    The county commissioners of election board of voter registration and elections shall conduct and supervise the elections for members of the board in the manner governed by the election laws of this State, mutatis mutandis. The commissioners shall prepare the necessary ballots, appoint managers for the voting precincts, and do all things necessary to carry out the elections, including the counting of ballots and declaring the results. The commissioners shall advertise the date of the election ninety days preceding the election in a newspaper of general circulation published in the district and shall publish a second notice thirty days before the election. The costs of the election must be borne by the school district.

    The candidate receiving the highest number of the votes in each district in the election must be declared elected.

    The members of the board elected in these nonpartisan elections shall take office one week following certification of their election as provided in Section 59-19-315 of the 1976 Code.

    Except for those present members of the board from the newly created even-numbered districts who shall continue to serve until 1994 as provided by this section, the current members of the board shall continue to be selected and serve as now provided by law until the members elected in the 1992 election qualify and take office, at which time the then current terms of the present members of the board shall expire.

 

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

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