Bill > H5356

This bill, titled the "South Carolina Voter Integrity Party Primaries Act," enacts significant changes to how partisan primary elections and advisory referendums are conducted in South Carolina, with most provisions taking effect on January 1, 2027. The core change is that individuals will generally only be allowed to vote in a political party's primary election or advisory referendum if they are registered as a member of that specific party. This means that voters will need to declare their party affiliation when registering to vote, and this affiliation will be recorded by the State Election Commission. The bill also outlines procedures for changing party affiliation or opting to be unaffiliated with any party, and it requires the State Election Commission and county election officials to assist in capturing and maintaining this party affiliation data. While the new rules generally apply from January 1, 2027, primaries held before that date will allow voters to participate if they sign an affidavit affirming their party membership at the time of voting. Importantly, political parties can choose to open their primaries to independent voters, but they must formally notify the State Election Commission of this decision within specific timeframes.

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https://www.scstatehouse.gov/billsearch.php?billnumbers=5356&session=126&summary=B