South Carolina S 694: Polling Places in Aiken County

Bill Text

South Carolina General Assembly

126th Session, 2025-2026



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. 



__________