South Carolina H 3552: Human Life Protection Act

Bill Text

2025-2026 Bill 3552 Text of Previous Version (Dec. 06, 2024) - South Carolina Legislature Online 

South Carolina General Assembly
126th Session, 2025-2026

Bill 3552

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 
7-13-42 SO AS TO PROVIDE THAT THE CANDIDATE WHO RECEIVES THE LARGEST NUMBER OF 
VOTES CAST FOR A GIVEN OFFICE IN THE PRIMARY OF A POLITICAL PARTY IS CONSIDERED 
NOMINATED; BY AMENDING SECTIONS 7-5-150 AND 7-5-220, BOTH RELATING TO THE VOTER 
REGISTRATION DEADLINE PRECEDING AN ELECTION, BOTH SO AS TO REMOVE REFERENCES TO 
RUNOFF ELECTIONS; BY AMENDING SECTION 7-11-55, RELATING TO SPECIAL PRIMARY 
ELECTIONS TO REPLACE A PARTY NOMINEE, SO AS TO MAKE CONFORMING CHANGES; BY 
AMENDING SECTIONS 7-13-25, 7-13-40, AND 7-13-190, RELATING TO EARLY VOTING, THE 
DATE OF PRIMARY PARTY ELECTIONS, AND SPECIAL ELECTIONS TO FILL VACANCIES IN 
OFFICE, RESPECTIVELY, ALL SO AS TO MAKE CONFORMING CHANGES; BY AMENDING SECTION 
7-17-280, RELATING TO MANDATORY RECOUNTS, SO AS TO MAKE CONFORMING CHANGES; BY 
AMENDING SECTION 7-17-510, RELATING TO CANVASS AND CERTIFICATION OF PRIMARY 
RESULTS, SO AS TO MAKE CONFORMING CHANGES; BY REPEALING SECTIONS 7-13-50, 
7-17-600, AND 7-17-610 RELATING TO SECOND PRIMARIES OR RUNOFFS, THE REQUIREMENT 
THAT A CANDIDATE RECEIVE A MAJORITY OF VOTES CAST IN A FIRST PRIMARY TO BE 
DECLARED NOMINATED, AND METHODS OF DETERMINING WHAT CONSTITUTES A MAJORITY VOTE 
FOR A PARTICULAR OFFICE, RESPECTIVELY.

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

SECTION 1. Article 1, Chapter 13, Title 7 of the S.C. Code is 
amended by adding:

 Section 
7-13-42. The candidate who receives the largest number of votes cast for a 
given office in the primary of a political party held under the provisions of 
this title is considered nominated for that office whether or not the candidate 
receives a majority of the votes cast.

SECTION 
2.A. Section 7-5-150 of the S.C. Code is amended to 
read:

 Section 
7-5-150. The registration books shall be closed thirty days before each 
election, but only as to that election or any second race 
or runoff resulting from that election, and shall remain closed until 
the election has taken place, anything in this article to the contrary 
notwithstanding; provided, that the registration books shall be closed thirty 
days before the June primary and shall remain closed until 
after the second primary and shall likewise be closed thirty days before 
the November general election. They shall thereafter be opened from time to 
time in accordance with the provisions of this article. Any person eligible to 
register who has been discharged or separated from his service in the Armed 
Forces of the United States, and returned home too late to register at the time 
when registration is required, is entitled to register for the purpose of 
voting in the next ensuing election after the discharge or separation from 
service, up to 5:00 p.m. on the day of the election. This application for 
registration must be made at the office of the board of voter registration and 
elections in the county in which the person wishes to register, and if 
qualified, the person must be issued a registration notification stating the 
precinct in which he is entitled to vote and a certification to the managers of 
the precinct that he is entitled to vote and should be placed on the 
registration rolls of the precinct. Persons who become of age during this 
period of thirty days shall be entitled to register before the closing of the 
books if otherwise qualified.

B. Section 7-5-220 of the S.C. Code is amended to read:

 Section 
7-5-220. Except as provided in Section 7-5-150, registration made thirty days 
or less before any election is not valid for that election 
or any second race or runoff resulting from that election but such 
registration shall be valid in any other election.

SECTION 3. Section 7-11-55 of the S.C. Code is amended to read:

 Section 
7-11-55. If a party nominee dies, becomes 
disqualified after his nomination, or resigns his candidacy for a legitimate 
nonpolitical reason as defined in Section 7-11-50 and was selected through a 
party primary election, the vacancy must be filled in a special primary 
election to be conducted as provided in this section. The filing period for 
this special primary election opens the second Tuesday after the death, 
disqualification, or approval of the resignation for one week. The special 
primary election then must be conducted on the second Tuesday immediately 
following the close of the filing period. A runoff, if 
necessary, must be held two weeks after the first primary. The 
nomination must be certified not less than two weeks before the date of the 
general election. If the nomination is certified two weeks or more before the 
date of the general electio