South Carolina H 3556: Political parties and primaries

Bill Text

2025-2026 Bill 3556 Text of Previous Version (May. 06, 2026) - South Carolina Legislature Online 

South Carolina General Assembly
126th Session, 2025-2026

Bill 3556

Indicates Matter Stricken
Indicates New Matter

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

Indicates Matter Stricken

Indicates New Matter

Scriveners Error

May 6, 2026

H. 3556

Introduced 
by Reps. B. Newton, Schuessler, Guest, Taylor and Hixon 

S. Printed 5/6/26--S.

Read the first time April 1, 2025

________

statement of estimated fiscal impact

Explanation of Fiscal Impact

<<section info>>

Frank A. Rainwater, Executive Director

Revenue and Fiscal Affairs Office

_______

A bill

TO AMEND THE SOUTH CAROLINA CODE OF LAWS BY AMENDING 
SECTION 7-17-560, RELATING TO THE AUTHORITY OF THE STATE EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE OF 
A POLITICAL PARTY TO HEAR CERTAIN PRIMARY PROTESTS AND CONTESTS, SO AS TO 
REQUIRE THE STATE EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE TO ALSO HEAR PROTESTS AND CONTESTS IN THE 
CASE OF COUNTY OFFICERS, LESS THAN COUNTY OFFICERS, AND MUNICIPAL OFFICERS, TO 
AUTHORIZE THE STATE EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE TO ADOPT A RESOLUTION TO REQUIRE THE 
FILING OF ANY PROTEST OR CONTEST TO BE ACCOMPANIED BY A BOND WITH SURETY, AND 
TO PROVIDE FOR APPEALS FROM DECISIONS BY THE STATE EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE; BY 
AMENDING SECTION 7-17-570, RELATING TO HEARINGS OF PRIMARY PROTESTS AND 
CONTESTS, SO AS TO EXTEND THE TIME IN WHICH THE STATE EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE MUST 
CONDUCT SUCH HEARINGS; BY AMENDING SECTION 5-15-80, RELATING TO MUNICIPAL 
PRIMARY PROTESTS AND CONTESTS, SO AS TO PROVIDE THAT SUCH PROTESTS AND CONTESTS 
ARE TO BE FILED, HEARD, AND DECIDED IN THE MANNER PROVIDED IN SECTIONS 7-17-560 
AND 7-17-570; AND BY REPEALING SECTIONS 7-17-520, 7-17-530, 7-17-540, 7-17-550, 
7-17-580, AND 7-17-590 ALL RELATING TO PRIMARY PROTESTS AND CONTESTS FOR 
CERTAIN OFFICES.

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

SECTION 1. Section 7-17-560 of the S.C. Code is amended to read:

 Section 7-17-560. (A) The state executive 
committee must meet in Columbia at such place as may be designated by the 
chairman to hear and decide protests and contests that may arise in the case of 
federal officers, state officers, State Senate, State House of Representatives, 
and officers involving more than one county, partisan county officers, partisan less than county officers, 
and partisan municipal officers. Any protest or contest must be filed in 
writing with the chairman of the committee, together with a copy for each candidate 
in the race, not later than noon on Monday following the canvassing of the 
votes for these officers by the committee. However, 
service upon the chairman may be perfected by depositing at the office of the 
Chief of the State Law Enforcement Division a copy of the protest, together 
with a copy for each candidate in the race. The chief must take immediate steps 
to deliver these copies to the chairman. The protest must contain each ground 
thereof stated separately and concisely. The chairman of the committee must 
forthwith serve upon each candidate in the protested race a copy of the protest 
and serve a notice of the time and place of the meeting of the committee for 
the purposes of hearing the protest.

 (B) The state executive committee may, 
by resolution adopted at least sixty days prior to the conduct of a primary, 
require the filing of any protest or contest to be accompanied by a refundable 
deposit for hearing costs, not to exceed seven hundred fifty dollars. The 
amount of the deposit must be refunded to a candidate who files a protest or 
contest only if:

 (1) the state executive committee 
upholds the protest or contest; or

 (2) a petition to the Supreme Court 
under Section 7-17-570(D) is granted.

SECTION 2. Section 7-17-570 of the S.C. Code is amended to read:

 Section 
7-17-570. (A) The executive committee shall hear the protest or 
contest on Thursday following within 
two weeks of the deadline for filing the same. Testimony at the hearing 
shall be limited to the grounds stated in the written protest.

 (B) The protestant and 
each other candidate in the protested race shall have the right to be present 
at the hearing, to be represented by counsel, to examine and cross-examine 
witnesses and to produce evidence relevant to the grounds of the protest. The 
chairman of the committee shall provide for and conduct the hearing as nearly 
as possible in accordance with the procedures and rules of evidence observed by 
the circuit courts of this State. The chairman shall have authority to 
administer oaths and subpoena witnesses. Upon the conclusion of the hearing of 
the protest the committee shall determine all issues by majority vote and 
forthwith certify the results of the election. The State Election Commission 
shall pay for the costs of the court reporter and the transcript of the 
hearing.

 (C) The committee shall 
remain in session until a conclusion ha