South Carolina H 4513: Morgan Humphries, Teacher of the Year

Bill Text

2025-2026 Bill 4513 Text of Previous Version (May. 06, 2025) - South Carolina Legislature Online 

South Carolina General Assembly
126th Session, 2025-2026

Bill 4513

Indicates Matter Stricken
Indicates New Matter

(Text matches printed bills. Document has been reformatted to meet World Wide Web specifications.)

A bill

TO AMEND THE SOUTH CAROLINA CODE OF LAWS 
BY ADDING SECTION 7-5-35 SO AS TO REQUIRE COUNTY BOARDS OF VOTER REGISTRATION 
AND ELECTIONS TO MAINTAIN CERTAIN RECORDS THAT MUST BE PROVIDED, UPON REQUEST, 
TO QUALIFIED ELECTORS FREE OF CHARGE; BY ADDING SECTION 7-13-870 SO AS TO 
ESTABLISH CERTAIN INHERENT RIGHTS OF OBSERVATION WITH REGARDS TO ELECTION 
PROCESSES FOR EVERY CITIZEN OF THIS STATE; BY ADDING SECTION 7-13-880 SO AS TO 
ESTABLISH CERTAIN INVENTORY RECORD-KEEPING PROTOCOLS AND CHAIN OF CUSTODY 
REQUIREMENTS FOR VOTING SYSTEM COMPONENTS AND OTHER SYSTEMS, EQUIPMENT, 
MATERIALS, OR DEVICES USED IN ELECTION-RELATED PROCESSES; BY ADDING SECTION 
7-13-1180 SO AS TO CONDUCT POSTELECTION AUDITS IN WHICH ALL VOTES CAST ARE HAND 
COUNTED; AND BY ADDING SECTION 7-13-1455 SO AS TO PROVIDE ACTIONS AND PROTOCOLS 
THAT MUST BE TAKEN WHEN THERE IS A DISCREPANCY BETWEEN POSTELECTION AUDIT 
RESULTS AND TABULATED VOTE COUNTS THAT EQUALS OR EXCEEDS A CERTAIN AMOUNT.

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

SECTION 1. Article 1, Chapter 5, Title 7 
of the S.C. Code is amended by adding:

 Section 
7-5-35. Each county board of voter registration and 
elections must maintain the following records and, upon request, furnish 
electronic copies to a qualified elector at no charge:

 (1) cast vote records;

 (2) poll lists or precinct lists;

 (3) logic and accuracy testing reports;

 (4) ballot review and reconciliation 
reports;

 (5) chain of custody documents; and

 (6) proof of citizenship, any actions 
taken to verify citizenship, and any actions taken to remove noncitizens from 
the voter registration list.

SECTION 2. Article 7, Chapter 13, Title 7 
of the S.C. Code is amended by adding:

 Section 
7-13-870. (A) It is the inherent 
right of every citizen of this State to observe the election process in its 
entirety including:

 (1) the testing of any and all 
equipment or processes prior to the election;

 (2) all operations during absentee 
voting, early voting, and on election day;

 (3) chain of custody of election 
materials;

 (4) all processes related to the 
canvassing, preparation, counting, and tabulation of ballots;

 (5) the uploading of election results; and

 (6) any postelection audits of 
processes or results.

 (B) To the extent observers do not 
overcrowd a polling location or other facility used in the election process or 
otherwise impede election processes, observers must:

 (1) be allowed to view any component or 
election process while remaining at least five feet away from voters;

 (2) refrain from communicating with a 
voter while the voter is inside the polling place; and

 (3) be allowed to view the ballots for 
logic and accuracy testing, absentee ballot verification, and postelection 
audits.

SECTION 3. Article 7, Chapter 13, Title 7 
of the S.C. Code is amended by adding:

 Section 
7-13-880. (A)(1) Any and all parts 
and components of the voting system, as well as any other systems, equipment, 
hardware, materials, and devices used to conduct election-related processes, 
must be accounted for throughout the time and place of their use.

 (2) The provisions of this section 
apply to any off-the-shelf equipment or components used to conduct elections.

 (3) The types of election equipment, 
components, and other items subject to the provisions of this subsection 
specifically include, but are not limited to, voting machines, ballots, poll 
books, internet connectivity devices or hardware, ballots, tamper-evident 
seals, flash drives, and printers.

 (B) Each county board of voter 
registration and elections shall maintain such chain of custody records 
throughout the twenty-four-month retention period. Chain of custody 
documentation must include, without limitation, the location of the item, the 
date and time, ballot container seal number, and the identity of any ballot 
couriers for every transfer or change made with respect to the materials or 
information referenced in this section. The name of any person who comes into 
contact with or modifies, moves, transfers, updates, or interacts with the 
materials referenced in this section must be recorded along with the reason for 
the interaction.

SECTION 4. Article 11, Chapter 13, Title 
7 of the S.C. Code is amended by adding:

 Section 
7-13-1180. (A) Notwithstanding the 
provisions of Section 7-3-20, each county board of voter registration and 
elections shall conduct a postelection audit of precinct and voting center 
election results following every statewide party primary and general election 
in accordance with the provisions of this section.

 (B) The audit must consist of a hand