Your feedback ensures we stay focused on the facts that matter to you most—take our survey.
South Carolina Amendment 1, Appointed Superintendent of Education Measure (2018)
- General election: Nov. 6
- Voter registration deadline: Oct. 17
- Early voting: N/A
- Absentee voting deadline: Nov. 6
- Online registration: Yes
- Same-day registration: No
- Voter ID: Photo ID required
- Poll times: 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.
| South Carolina Amendment 1 | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Election date November 6, 2018 | |
| Topic State executive official measures | |
Status Defeated | |
| Type Constitutional amendment | Origin State legislature |
South Carolina Amendment 1, the Appointed Superintendent of Education Measure, was on the ballot in South Carolina as a legislatively referred constitutional amendment on November 6, 2018.[1] The measure was defeated.
| A "yes" vote supported making the position of state superintendent of education a governor-appointed position, rather than an elected position. |
| A "no" vote opposed the constitutional amendment, thus keeping the position of state superintendent of education as an elected position. |
Election results
|
South Carolina Amendment 1 |
||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Result | Votes | Percentage | ||
| Yes | 654,943 | 39.90% | ||
|
|
986,685 | 60.10% | ||
Overview
What would Amendment 1 have changed?
Amendment 1 would have made the position of state superintendent of education an appointed position, rather than an elected position. The governor would have appointed the superintendent, with the consent of the state Senate. The state legislature would have been responsible for prescribing the office's duties, compensation, and required qualifications. The measure would have taken effect on January 1, 2023, or upon a vacancy in the office after the amendment's enactment but before 2023.[1]
How were superintendents selected in other states?
As of 2018, South Carolina was one of 13 states that held elections for the office of superintendent of education. Neighboring North Carolina and Georgia also held elections for the office. The remaining 37 states appointed superintendents of education. Of these 37 states, 17 gave the power of appointment to the governor, 18 gave the power of appointment to the state Board of Education, and two states gave the power of appointment to the state college system's Board of Regents.
Where did the 2018 superintendent candidates stand on Amendment 1?
Voters in South Carolina elected the superintendent of eudcation on November 6, 2018. If voters had approved Amendment 1, the candidate elected in 2018 would have served as the state's last elected superintendent of education. Incumbent Molly Spearman (R), who was first elected superintendent in 2014, supported Amendment 1. Her initial challenger, Israel Romero (D), opposed Amendment 1. Romero, however, said he was withdrawing from the race on October 17, 2018.[2][3]
- Molly Spearman (R), the incumbent superintendent, supported Amendment 1. She said, "When I decided to run, I checked the Constitution to make sure I was qualified, and it turns out everybody is. (But) it requires a lot of skills and experience to run one of the largest agencies of state government and oversee 800,000 students."[2]
- Israel Romero (D), a former teacher and professor, opposed Amendment 1. He withdrew from the race on October 17, 2018. He stated, "Education must keep being directed by a person elected by public vote. What they are trying to do is have control. ... The superintendent has to be independent, not somebody who is being given instructions by the governor."[2]
Text of measure
Ballot title
The ballot title was as follows:[1]
| “ |
Must Section 7, Article VI of the Constitution of this State, relating to state constitutional officers, be amended so as to provide that beginning in January 2023, or upon a vacancy in the office of Superintendent of Education after the date of the ratification of the provisions of this paragraph, whichever occurs first, the Superintendent of Education must be appointed by the Governor, with the advice and consent of the Senate; to provide that the appointed Superintendent of Education shall serve at the pleasure of the Governor; and to require the General Assembly to provide by law for the duties, compensation, and qualifications for the office? A 'Yes' vote will require the Superintendent of Education be appointed by the Governor with the consent of the Senate. A 'No' vote maintains the current method of electing a Superintendent of Education.[4] |
” |
Constitutional changes
- See also: Article VI, South Carolina Constitution
The measure would have added a new paragraph to Section 7 of Article VI of the South Carolina Constitution:[1]
Readability score
- See also: Ballot measure readability scores, 2018
| Using the Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level (FKGL and Flesch Reading Ease (FRE) formulas, Ballotpedia scored the readability of the ballot title and summary for this measure. Readability scores are designed to indicate the reading difficulty of text. The Flesch-Kincaid formulas account for the number of words, syllables, and sentences in a text; they do not account for the difficulty of the ideas in the text. The state legislature wrote the ballot language for this measure.
In 2018, for the 167 statewide measures on the ballot, the average ballot title or question was written at a level appropriate for those with between 19 and 20 years of U.S. formal education (graduate school-level of education), according to the FKGL formula. Read Ballotpedia's entire 2018 ballot language readability report here. |
Support
Arguments
The South Carolina League of Women Voters wrote arguments supporting and opposing Amendment 1. The following was the argument in support of Amendment 1:[5]
| “ | South Carolina is one of only eight states in which state superintendents are chosen in statewide partisan elections.
In South Carolina, many statewide offices (seven) are elected by statewide partisan vote. A recent change was the Adjutant General, which has been removed as an elected position. The seven remaining elected state positions, in addition to many important statewide commission and board members who are appointed by the General Assembly, take authority from the Governor who should be held responsible for the efficient operation of all state agencies. An appointed Superintendent would increase the Governor’s accountability for public education issues and strengthen the Office of the Governor in this legislatively-dominated state. The expense and difficulty of running statewide partisan campaigns may discourage the best candidates from running.[4] |
” |
Opposition
Arguments
The South Carolina League of Women Voters wrote arguments supporting and opposing Amendment 1. The following was the argument in opposition to Amendment 1:[5]
| “ |
Since the State Superintendent has direct oversight of all the state’s public schools, an elected Superintendent makes her/him directly accountable to voters regarding K-12 education issues. Since the largest portion of the state budget goes to education, as well as millions of dollars in federal grant money, an elected state superintendent can devote full attention to education issues without the distraction or competition of other state funding issues. Gubernatorial appointment would not guarantee the person chosen would have the knowledge, experience or philosophy to successfully manage school issues. Special interest lobbying could influence gubernatorial appointment of a superintendent. As education becomes more complex and specialized, statewide campaigns require candidates to travel throughout the state, giving voters the opportunity to meet and evaluate the candidates.[4] |
” |
Campaign finance
| Total campaign contributions: | |
| Support: | $0.00 |
| Opposition: | $0.00 |
There were no ballot measure committees registered in support of the measure or in opposition to the measure.[6]
Reporting dates
In South Carolina, ballot measure committees filed a total of four campaign finance reports in 2018. The filing dates for reports were as follows:[7]
| Campaign finance reporting dates for 2018 ballot | ||
|---|---|---|
| Date | Report | Period |
| 1/11/2018 | Final 2017 Report | 10/01/2017 - 12/31/2017 |
| 4/10/2018 | Report #1 | 1/01/2018 - 3/31/2018 |
| 7/10/2018 | Report #2 | 4/01/2018 - 6/30/2018 |
| 10/10/2018 | Report #3 | 7/01/2018 - 9/30/2018 |
| 1/10/2019 | Final 2018 Report | 10/01/2018 - 12/31/2018 |
Background
How were superintendents elected in other states?
As of 2018, superintendents of education were appointed in 37 states. Of these 37 states, 17 gave the power of appointment to the governor, 18 gave the power of appointment to the state Board of Education, and two states—New York and Rhode Island—gave the power of appointment to the state college system's Board of Regents. The remaining 13 states, including South Carolina, held elections for the superintendent of education. Neighboring North Carolina and Georgia also held elections for the office.
Who had been the superintendent in South Carolina?
Between 1992 and 2018, South Carolina had a Republican superintendent of education for 15 years (55.6 percent of the years). Democrats held the office for the remaining 12 years (44.4 percent of years). Democrats held the office of superintendent of education for more years during the 27-year period than the governor's office, state Senate, or state House. Between 2003 and 2018, Republicans held a trifecta in South Carolina—controlling both chambers of the state legislature and governor’s office. Democrats retained the superintendent's office until 2011, when Mick Zais (R) was inaugurated. Zais deafeated Frank Holleman (D) at the election on November 2, 2010. Zais did not run for reelection in 2014. Molly Spearman (R) defeated Tom Thompson (D) on November 4, 2014, and became the state superintendent of education in 2015.
| Year | 92 | 93 | 94 | 95 | 96 | 97 | 98 | 99 | 00 | 01 | 02 | 03 | 04 | 05 | 06 | 07 | 08 | 09 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Governor | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | D | D | D | D | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R |
| Senate | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R |
| House | D | D | D | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R |
| Superintendent | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R |
How often did South Carolina voters approve constitutional amendments?
From 1996 through 2016, the South Carolina State Legislature referred 38 constitutional amendments to the ballot. Voters approved 33 of the referred amendments. The average number of amendments appearing on the ballot during an even-numbered election year was between three and four. No amendments appeared on the ballot in 2016. However, two amendments appeared on the ballot in 2014. The approval rate at the ballot box was 86.84 percent during the 20-year period from 1996 through 2016. The last time voters rejected a referred amendment was in 2008.
| Legislatively-referred constitutional amendments, 1996-2016 | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total number | Approved | Percent approved | Defeated | Percent defeated | Even-year average | Even-year median | Annual minimum | Annual maximum | |
| 38 | 33 | 86.84% | 5 | 13.16% | 3.45 | 3.00 | 0 | 9 | |
Path to the ballot
- See also: Amending the South Carolina Constitution
In South Carolina, a constitutional amendment must be passed by a two-thirds vote in each house of the South Carolina State Legislature.
The amendment was introduced into the state legislature as House Joint Resolution 3146 (HJR 3146) on December 15, 2016.
On February 22, 2017, the South Carolina House of Representatives approved HJR 3146 in a second-reading vote of 87 to 24 with 12 members not voting. One seat was vacant in the state House at the time of the vote, meaning 83 votes were required to pass the amendment. On February 23, 2017, the state House approved the amendment in a third reading; however, a roll call was not recorded.[1]
On May 8, 2018, the South Carolina Senate approved HJR 3146 in a second-reading vote of 26 to 6 with 14 members not voting. While the number of votes was enough to move the amendment to a third reading, HJR 3146 needed to receive 31 votes to make the ballot. On May 10, 2018, the state Senate passed the amendment in a third reading, voting 38 to six with two members not voting.[1][8]
As the amendment received more than 31 votes in the state Senate and more than 83 votes in the state House, the amendment was certified for the ballot for the election on November 6, 2018.[1]
|
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
South Carolina is the only state that requires the legislature to approve an amendment again after voter approval at an election to enact an amendment.
How to cast a vote
- See also: Voting in South Carolina
Poll times
In South Carolina, all polls are open from 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. Eastern Time. An individual who is in line at the time polls close must be allowed to vote.[9]
Registration requirements
- Check your voter registration status here.
To register to vote in South Carolina, one must be a citizen of the United States, a resident of the county and precinct where he or she is registering, and at least 18 years old by Election Day. People who have been declared mentally incompetent by court order, are imprisoned, or are still serving a sentence for a felony conviction are ineligible to register to vote.[10] The deadline for registration is 30 days before the election. Prospective voters may register using one of the following methods:
- Online,
- In person at the county board of elections or one of the following locations:
- Armed Forces Recruiting Stations
- Commission for the Blind
- Department of Alcohol and Other Drug Abuse Services
- Department of Disabilities and Special Needs
- Department of Health and Environmental Control
- Department of Health and Human Services
- Department of Mental Health
- Department of Motor Vehicles
- Department of Social Services
- Protection and Advocacy for People with Disabilities
- Vocational Rehabilitation Department
- Returning a voter registration form by email, fax, or mail to the county board of voter registration. Note that mailed applications must be postmarked by at least 30 days before the election.[10]
Automatic registration
South Carolina does not practice automatic voter registration.[11]
Online registration
- See also: Online voter registration
South Carolina has implemented an online voter registration system. Residents can register to vote by visiting this website.
Same-day registration
South Carolina does not allow same-day voter registration.[11]
Residency requirements
Prospective voters must be residents of the county and precinct in which they are registering to vote.[10]
Verification of citizenship
South Carolina does not require proof of citizenship for voter registration.[10] An individual applying to register to vote must attest that they are a U.S. citizen under penalty of perjury.
All 49 states with voter registration systems require applicants to declare that they are U.S. citizens in order to register to vote in state and federal elections, under penalty of perjury or other punishment.[12] Seven states — Alabama, Arizona, Georgia, Kansas, Louisiana, New Hampshire, and Wyoming — have laws requiring verification of citizenship at the time of voter registration, whether in effect or not. In three states — California, Maryland, and Vermont — at least one local jurisdiction allows noncitizens to vote in some local elections. Noncitizens registering to vote in those elections must complete a voter registration application provided by the local jurisdiction and are not eligible to register as state or federal voters.
Verifying your registration
The South Carolina Election Commission allows residents to check their voter registration status online by visiting the MyscVOTES website.
Voter ID requirements
South Carolina requires voters to present photo identification while voting.[9][13]
Voters can present the following forms of identification:
- SC Driver’s License
- SC Department of Motor Vehicles ID Card
- includes SC Concealed Weapons Permit
- SC Voter Registration Card with Photo
- U.S. Passport
- Federal Military ID
- includes all Department of Defense Photo IDs and the Department of Veterans Affairs Benefits Card
Voters can obtain a free photo ID from a local DMV office or a county elections office.[14]
Related measures
| State executive official measures measures on the ballot in 2018 | |
|---|---|
| State | Measures |
| Wisconsin | Wisconsin Question 1: Elimination of State Treasurer Amendment |
See also
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 South Carolina Legislature, "House Joint Resolution 3146," accessed February 23, 2017
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 The State, "Should SC’s governor control education? Candidates for schools chief disagree," October 5, 2018
- ↑ U.S. News, "South Carolina Education Superintendent Candidate Withdraws," October 18, 2018
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source. Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; name "quotedisclaimer" defined multiple times with different content Cite error: Invalid<ref>tag; name "quotedisclaimer" defined multiple times with different content Cite error: Invalid<ref>tag; name "quotedisclaimer" defined multiple times with different content - ↑ 5.0 5.1 Vote 411, "On Your Ballot," accessed October 15, 2018
- ↑ South Carolina State Ethics Commission, "Individual Reports," accessed April 2, 2018
- ↑ South Carolina State Ethics Commission, "Reporting Calendar," accessed April 2, 2018
- ↑ The State, "Last-minute vote means governor might pick future SC education superintendents," May 10, 2018
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 South Carolina Election Commission, "FAQs for the 2024 General Election," accessed August 20, 2024
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 10.3 South Carolina Election Commission, “Register to Vote,” accessed May 2, 2023
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 NCSL, "State Profiles: Elections," accessed August 13, 2024
- ↑ Under federal law, the national mail voter registration application (a version of which is in use in all states with voter registration systems) requires applicants to indicate that they are U.S. citizens in order to complete an application to vote in state or federal elections, but does not require voters to provide documentary proof of citizenship. According to the U.S. Department of Justice, the application "may require only the minimum amount of information necessary to prevent duplicate voter registrations and permit State officials both to determine the eligibility of the applicant to vote and to administer the voting process."
- ↑ Justia, "SC Code § 7-13-710 (2022)," accessed May 2, 2023
- ↑ South Carolina Elections Commission, "FAQs for the 2024 General Election, accessed August 13, 2024
 |
State of South Carolina Columbia (capital) |
|---|---|
| Elections |
What's on my ballot? | Elections in 2025 | How to vote | How to run for office | Ballot measures |
| Government |
Who represents me? | U.S. President | U.S. Congress | Federal courts | State executives | State legislature | State and local courts | Counties | Cities | School districts | Public policy |
