In the event that a party nominates candidates by party primary, a party primary must be held by the party and conducted by the State Election Commission and the respective county boards of voter registration and elections on the second Tuesday in June of each general election year, and a second and third primary each two weeks successively thereafter, if necessary. Written certification of the names of all candidates to be placed on primary ballots must be made by the political party chairman, vice chairman, or secretary to the State Election Commission or the county board of voter registration and elections whichever is responsible under law for preparing the ballot, not later than twelve o'clock noon on April fifth, or if April fifth falls on a Saturday or Sunday, not later than twelve o'clock noon on the following Monday. Political parties nominating candidates by party primary must verify the qualifications of those candidates prior to certification to the appropriate election commission of the names of candidates to be placed on primary ballots. The written verification required by this section must contain a statement that each candidate certified meets, or will meet by the time of the general election, or as otherwise required by law, the qualifications for office for which he has filed. A political party must not certify any candidate who does not or will not by the time of the general election, or as otherwise required by law, meet the qualifications for the office for which the candidate has filed, and such candidate's name shall not be placed on a primary ballot. The filing fees for all candidates filing to run in all primaries, except municipal primaries, must be transmitted by the respective political parties to the State Election Commission and placed by the executive director of the commission in a special account designated for use in conducting primary elections and must be used for that purpose. The filing fee for each office is one percent of the total salary for the term of that office or one hundred dollars, whichever amount is greater.

HISTORY: 1962 Code Section 23-396; 1952 Code Section 23-372; 1950 (46) 2059; 1954 (48) 1447; 1966 (54) 2093, 2340; 1977 Act No. 133 Section 3; 1988 Act No. 363, Section 2, eff March 14, 1988; 1992 Act No. 253, Section 2, eff February 19, 1992; 1994 Act No. 497, Part II, Section 134, eff June 29, 1994; 1996 Act No. 226, Section 3, eff February 12, 1996; 2000 Act No. 236, Section 3, eff March 7, 2000; 2013 Act No. 61, Section 5, eff June 25, 2013.

Editor's Note

2013 Act No. 61, Section 14, provides as follows:

"SECTION 14. This act takes effect upon preclearance approval by the United States Department of Justice or approval by a declaratory judgment issued by the United States District Court for the District of Columbia, whichever occurs first."

The amendment by 2013 Act No. 61 became effective June 25, 2013, see South Carolina Libertarian Party v. South Carolina State Election Com'n, 407 S.C. 612, 757 S.E.2d 707 (2014).