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South Carolina elections, 2013
Contents |
| On the 2013 ballot |
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Exceptions include special elections. Find current election news and links here. |
2013 elections
Special elections
U.S. House of Representatives
- The 1st congressional district of South Carolina held a special election for the U.S. House of Representatives on May 7, 2013, which Mark Sanford won. The election was held to fill the vacancy left by the appointment of Representative Tim Scott (R) to the United States Senate. South Carolina law dictates that a primary election to fill a vacancy to the U.S. House must be held on the 11th Tuesday after the vacancy occurs, with the general election being held 18 weeks after the vacancy.[1] The period of time to file to run for office was January 18 to January 28. The primary was held on March 19, with a runoff on April 2 and general election on May 7, 2013.[2]
- South Carolina has an open primary system, in which any registered voter can choose which party's primary to vote in, without having to be a member of that party.
State House District 17
- Tom Corbin (R) resigned his District 17 seat in the South Carolina House of Representatives on November 12, 2012, after he won election to both the House and the state Senate on November 6. A special election was scheduled for March 12, 2013. Candidates had until December 10, 2012 to file. A Republican primary was held on January 11, 2013. Mike Burns missed winning outright by one vote and went to a runoff with Chris Sullivan, which Burns won. Since no write-in Democrat filed to run by February 21, Burns was declared the winner on March 12.[3][4][5][6]
- Related: See election results here.
- See also: South Carolina state legislative special elections, 2013.
Voting absentee
- See also: Absentee Voting
Eligibility
You are eligible to vote absentee in an election if you cannot make it to the polls on election day for one of the following reasons:
- you are a student away at college (or a spouse or dependent residing with the student)
- you are a member of the Armed Forces, Merchant Marines, Red Cross, USO, government employees (or a spouse or dependent residing with such a person)
- you live overseas
- your job prevents you from voting in person
- you are physically disabled
- you are away on vacation
- you are 65 or older
- you have been admitted to the hospital as an emergency patient on day of election or at least four days prior to the election
- there has been a death or funeral in your family within 3 days before the election
- you are confined to a jail or pre-trial facility pending disposition of arrest or trial
- you are attending sick or physically disabled persons
- you are on jury duty in state or federal court on election day
- you are a certified poll watcher, poll manager, or county elecion official and you will be working on election day
Deadlines
To vote absentee a request must be received at least four days prior to the election. The ballot must then be returned by 7pm on election day.
Military and overseas voting
For full details, visit the Federal Voting Assistance Program here.
Voting early
- See also: Early voting
South Carolina is one of 8 states which allow early voting but require an excuse to vote early. Early voting begins as soon as ballots become available and ends on the day prior to election day.
To vote early you need to provide an excuse for why you will be unable to vote at the polls during normal voting hours. Falling into any of the following categories is a valid reason:
- a student away at college (or a spouse or dependent residing with the student)
- a member of the Armed Forces, Merchant Marines, Red Cross, USO, government employees, or a spouse or dependent residing with such a person
- a person with a job that prevents you from voting in person on election day
- physically disabled
- away on vacation on election day
- 65 or older
- confined to a jail or pre-trial facility pending disposition of arrest or trial
- attending sick or physically disabled persons
- on jury duty in state or federal court on election day
- a certified poll watchers or poll managers
Elections Performance Index
South Carolina ranked 40th out of the 50 states and District of Columbia in the Pew Charitable Trusts' Elections Performance Index (EPI), based on the 2010 elections. The EPI examines election administration performance assigning an average percentage score based on 17 indicators of election performance. The indicators were chosen within the framework of determining the convenience and integrity of each of the three administrative phases of an election: registration, voting and counting. South Carolina received an overall score of 58%.[7]
See also
References
- ↑ Washington Post "Scott's departure for Senate will trigger third special House election in 2013," December 17, 2012
- ↑ South Carolina Republican Party Website "1st Congressional Special Election details set," accessed January 3, 2013
- ↑ The Travelers Rest Tribune, "Upstate businessman to run for recently vacated S.C. House District 17 seat," November 14, 2012
- ↑ Taylors-Wade Hampton Patch, "Businessman Announces Bid For Vacated S.C. House Seat," November 15, 2012
- ↑ Travelers Rest Tribune, "Burns wins S.C. House District 17 Republican runoff," February 5, 2013
- ↑ GreenvilleOnline.com, "Burns to fill House District 17 seat," March 12, 2013
- ↑ Pew Charitable Trusts, Election Performance Index Report
