South Carolina S 36: Polling Locations

Bill Text

2025-2026 Bill 36 Text of Previous Version (Jan. 15, 2025) - South Carolina Legislature Online 

South Carolina General Assembly
126th Session, 2025-2026

Bill 36

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 AMENDING 
SECTION 7-7-10, RELATING TO VOTING PRECINCTS, SO AS TO REQUIRE THE POLLING 
PLACES FOR THE VOTING PRECINCTS TO BE ESTABLISHED BY THE COUNTY BOARDS OF VOTER 
REGISTRATION AND ELECTIONS IN ACCORDANCE WITH CERTAIN CRITERIA; BY AMENDING 
SECTION 7-7-710, RELATING TO A REPORT BY THE STATE ELECTION COMMISSION OF 
POLLING PRECINCTS WITH GREATER THAN ONE THOUSAND FIVE HUNDRED REGISTERED 
ELECTORS, SO AS TO REVISE THE PRECINCTS THAT MUST BE LISTED IN THE REPORT; BY 
AMENDING SECTION 7-7-720, RELATING TO THE NOTICE TO PERSONS WHOSE REGISTRATION 
IS TRANSFERRED, SO AS TO CONFORM THE SECTION TO AMENDMENTS TO SECTION 7-7-710; 
BY AMENDING SECTION 7-7-910, RELATING TO ALTERNATIVE POLLING PLACES, SO AS TO 
REVISE THE NOTIFICATION PROCEDURES WHEN AN ALTERNATIVE POLLING PLACE IS 
SELECTED; BY AMENDING SECTION 7-7-920, RELATING TO PLACES WHERE ELECTORS SHALL 
VOTE IN MUNICIPAL ELECTIONS, SO AS TO AUTHORIZE A CITY OR TOWN WITH A POPULATION 
UNDER THREE THOUSAND TO VOTE AT ONE POLLING PLACE IN MUNICIPAL ELECTIONS; BY 
AMENDING SECTION 7-7-1000, RELATING TO POLLING PRECINCTS IN MUNICIPAL ELECTIONS, 
SO AS TO PROVIDE THE SECTION ONLY APPLIES TO ELECTIONS CONDUCTED BY MUNICIPAL 
ELECTION COMMISSIONS; AND BY REPEALING SECTION 7-7-730, RELATING TO THE 
DIVISION OF PRECINCTS HAVING MORE THAN 750 ELECTORS.

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

SECTION 1. 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 
and located in accordance with the following:

 (1) at lease 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 delegation a 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.

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 three thousand five hundred 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 of the S.C. Code is amended to read:

 Section 
7-7-910. (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 regis