Indicates Matter Stricken

Indicates New Matter

 

Amended

March 3, 2026

 

S. 694

 

Introduced by Senator Young

 

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

Read the first time January 13, 2026

 

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A bill

 

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.

    Amend Title To Conform

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

 

SECTION 1.A.  Section 7-7-10 of the S.C. Code is amended to read:

 

    Section 7-7-10.  (A) For the purpose of holding any general, primary, or special election in this State, the voting precincts and voting places in the several counties of the State shall be designated, fixed, and established by the General Assembly.

    (B) The polling places for the precincts must be established by the county boards of voter registration and elections, subject to the approval of a majority of the applicable county legislative delegation, if required under this chapter, and located in accordance with the following:

       (1) at least one polling place must be located within each precinct unless a county board of voter registration and elections determines no suitable location for a polling place is within a precinct; and

       (2) a polling place located outside of a precinct must be within five miles of the precinct boundary unless a waiver is received from the executive director of the State Election Commission or his designee.

    (C) Nothing in this chapter prohibits a county board of voter registration and elections from establishing multiple polling places within a precinct, provided that voters are assigned to these polling places alphabetically or geographically as determined by the county board of voter registration and elections and approved by a majority of that county's legislative delegationa polling place for a precinct at the polling place of another precinct if the establishment is in accordance with subsection (B).

    (D) A voter must be notified in writing of his transfer to a new polling place and the location of the new polling place.

 

B.     A polling place that is assigned to a precinct on the effective date of this SECTION is deemed to be located in accordance with Section 7-7-10, as amended by this act.

 

SECTION 2.  Section 7-7-710 of the S.C. Code is amended to read:

 

    Section 7-7-710. The State Election Commission shall report the names of all polling precincts by county that have more than one thousand five hundredthree thousand registered electors as of January first to the General Assembly not later than the fourth Tuesday of each odd-numbered year.  If, by April first of the same year, the General Assembly has failed to alter the precincts so that no precinct shall have more than one thousand five hundred qualified electors the State Election Commission shall notify the respective county boards of voter registration and elections which shall make such alterations as necessary to conform all precincts to such limitations. Provided, that precincts isolated by water shall not be required to meet minimum requirements.

 

SECTION 3.  Section 7-7-720(A) of the S.C. Code is amended to read:

 

    (A) A person whose registration is transferred to another precinct by virtue of the provisions of this article must be notified by mail by the county board of voter registration and elections of the transfer.

 

SECTION 4.  Section 7-7-910(A) of the S.C. Code is amended to read:

 

    (A) Subject to the provisions of Section 7-7-920 and Section 7-5-440 and except as provided in subsection (B) of this section, each elector must be registered and, unless otherwise specified on his voting certificate,Unless otherwise provided in this title, each registered elector shall vote at the designated polling place within for the precinct of his residence, but in incorporated municipalities in which officers are elected by wards or other municipal subdivisions, electors must be registered and shall vote at their designated polling places.

 

SECTION 5.  Section 7-7-920 of the S.C. Code is amended to read:

 

    Section 7-7-920. In all municipal elections when the aldermen or councilmen are elected by wards, the electors shall vote at the voting place within their ward nearest their residences, and in all municipal elections when the aldermen, councilmen or other officials are elected by a vote at large within the municipality, the electors shall vote at the voting place in the precinct within which they reside which is nearest their residences.

    In all municipal elections when the ward lines and the precinct lines coincide within the city limits of the municipality, electors shall vote at the nearest voting place within the ward or precinct.

    InIf any city or town with a population under three thousand, according to the most recent official United States census, has having not more than one polling precinctplace, established by ordinance, for municipal elections, then all duly qualified electors shall be permitted to vote in municipal elections at such the polling voting place if such electors are authorized to vote at any voting precinct within such city or town.

 

SECTION 6.  Section 7-7-730 of the S.C. Code is repealed.

 

SECTION 7.  This act takes effect upon approval by the Governor.

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