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State Legislative Tracker: South Carolina Speaker indicted

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September 15, 2014

Edited by Joel Williams
This week’s tracker includes a look at an indictment against the Speaker of the South Carolina House of Representatives.

Weekly highlight

Last week, no state adjourned its legislative session. Here is a brief look at issues making headlines across the country:

  • Nevada: On September 10, 2014, the Nevada State Legislature opened up a special session to discuss Gov. Brian Sandoval's agreement with Tesla to build a $5 billion battery factory near Reno. The session is expected to last for several days and cover multiple bills involving the Tesla deal and other legislation.[1][2] As part of the $1.3 billion deal of tax breaks and incentives that Sandoval promised to Tesla, the Nevada State Assembly has so far passed Assembly Bill 1 and Assembly Bill 3.[3] The Assembly passed Assembly Bill 3 by a vote of 39 to 0, with two abstentions. The bill will eliminate $27 million in tax breaks for insurance companies that have offices in Nevada give them to Tesla as part of the deal's tax abatement program.[4] The Assembly also passed Assembly Bill 1 with a vote of 39 to 0 with two abstentions. This bill, a tax incentive package, will offer almost $8 million in energy discount rates for Tesla over an eight-year period.[3] Both bills have been sent to the Senate for approval.
  • South Carolina: Bobby Harrell, Jr. (R), the Speaker of the South Carolina House of Representatives, took leave from his legislative duties last Thursday following his indictment by a grand jury on nine misdemeanor counts including misconduct in office. Harrell is accused of using campaign funds on personal affairs and misreporting campaign disclosures, such as round-trip flights that did not occur.[5] In a letter, Harrell stated, "I have great respect for this institution and the people of South Carolina. I have always sought to act in their best interest and continue to do so now by taking this action and suspending myself from office." Harrell professed his innocence, countering that the use of his own plane or campaign funds for state business was of benefit to taxpayers.[6] The grand jury investigation is being held in Richland County; a state-level investigation ended after legal wrangling over who had authority over the case; while Harrell argued that the House Ethics Committee should have pursued the matter, the South Carolina Supreme Court ruled in July that state Attorney General Alan Wilson had the authority to prosecute. First Circuit Solicitor David Pascoe took over the case after Wilson recused himself.[7] The indictment comes after a complaint filed last year by the president of the South Carolina Policy Council, a libertarian think tank. Gov. Nikki Haley (R) has called for Harrell's outright resignation.[7] Harrell, first elected in 1992, has been the Speaker since 2005; Jay Lucas, the Speaker Pro Tempore, has since taken over control of chamber proceedings and is in the running for a full term as Speaker when the legislature holds its organization session following this year's elections. Per Solicitor General Robert Cook's non-binding opinion on the indictment, Lucas would have been required to relieve Harrell of his duties.[8] Lucas formally suspended Harrell later on Thursday; in an opinion, Wilson said that Harrell did not have the capacity to suspend himself.[9]

Sessions

Regular sessions

Current sessions capture for the week of September 15, 2014
See also: Dates of 2014 state legislative sessions
Click here to see a chart of each state's 2014 session information.

Currently 4 out of 50 state legislatures are meeting in regular session. Ohio is meeting in Skeleton Session. A Skeleton Session typically includes very short nonvoting sessions instead of regular sessions with a full chamber.[10]

The following states have adjourned their 2014 regular session:[11]


In recess

As of today, September 15, there are two state legislatures currently in recess:[12]

2014 Legislative Elections

See also: State legislative elections, 2014

A total of 87 of the 99 chambers will hold state legislative elections on November 4, 2014.

The 87 chambers with elections in 2014 are in 46 states. They are:

The Kansas, Minnesota, New Mexico and South Carolina senates also typically hold elections in even years. However, senators are elected to 4-year terms in those states and those will not be up for election again until 2016.

1,097 of the country's 1,972 state senate seats are up for re-election in November 2014, and 4,958 of the country's 5,411 state house seats are up for re-election. Altogether, 6,055 of the country's 7,383 state legislative seats are up for re-election on November 4, 2014.

Primary Information

See also: Signature requirements and deadlines for 2014 state legislative elections

The state legislative filing deadlines and primary dates are as follows:

Note: Ballot access is a complicated issue. The dates in the table below are primarily for candidates filing for access to the primary. For more detailed information about each state's qualification requirements -- including all relevant ballot access dates for the primary and general election -- click to our detailed pages in the state column.

2014 State Legislative Primary Information
State Filing Deadline Primary Date Days from Deadline to Primary
Alabama Red padlock.png 2/7/2014 Red padlock.png 6/3/2014 116
Alaska Red padlock.png 6/2/2014[13] Red padlock.png 8/19/2014 78
Arizona Red padlock.png 5/28/2014[14] Red padlock.png 8/26/2014 90
Arkansas Red padlock.png 3/3/2014[15][16] Red padlock.png 5/20/2014 78
California Red padlock.png 3/7/2014[17][18][19] Red padlock.png 6/3/2014 88
Colorado Red padlock.png 3/31/2014[20][21] Red padlock.png 6/24/2014 85
Connecticut Red padlock.png 6/10/2014[22] Red padlock.png 8/12/2014 90
Delaware Red padlock.png 7/8/2014 Red padlock.png 9/9/2014 63
Florida Red padlock.png 6/20/2014[23][24] Red padlock.png 8/26/2014 67
Georgia Red padlock.png 3/7/2014 Red padlock.png 5/20/2014 74
Hawaii Red padlock.png 6/3/2014[25] Red padlock.png 8/9/2014 67
Idaho Red padlock.png 3/14/2014 Red padlock.png 5/20/2014 78
Illinois Red padlock.png 12/2/2013 Red padlock.png 3/18/2014 106
Indiana Red padlock.png 2/7/2014 Red padlock.png 5/6/2014 88
Iowa Red padlock.png 3/14/2014 Red padlock.png 6/3/2014 81
Kansas Red padlock.png 6/2/2014 Red padlock.png 8/5/2014 65
Kentucky Red padlock.png 1/28/2014[26][27] Red padlock.png 5/20/2014 112
Maine Red padlock.png 3/17/2014[28] Red padlock.png 6/10/2014 85
Maryland Red padlock.png 2/25/2014[29] Red padlock.png 6/24/2014 119
Massachusetts Red padlock.png 6/3/2014[30] Red padlock.png 9/9/2014 98
Michigan Red padlock.png 4/22/2014 Red padlock.png 8/5/2014 105
Minnesota Red padlock.png 6/3/2014 Red padlock.png 8/12/2014 70
Missouri Red padlock.png 3/25/2014 Red padlock.png 8/5/2014 133
Montana Red padlock.png 3/10/2014 Red padlock.png 6/3/2014 85
Nebraska Red padlock.png 3/3/2014[31] Red padlock.png 5/13/2014 85
Nevada Red padlock.png 3/14/2014 Red padlock.png 6/10/2014 88
New Hampshire Red padlock.png 6/13/2014 Red padlock.png 9/9/2014 88
New Mexico Red padlock.png 2/4/2014 Red padlock.png 6/3/2014 119
New York Red padlock.png 7/10/2014 Red padlock.png 9/9/2014 61
North Carolina Red padlock.png 2/28/2014 Red padlock.png 5/6/2014 67
North Dakota Red padlock.png 4/7/2014 Red padlock.png 6/10/2014 64
Ohio Red padlock.png 2/5/2014 Red padlock.png 5/6/2014 90
Oklahoma Red padlock.png 4/11/2014 Red padlock.png 6/24/2014 74
Oregon Red padlock.png 3/11/2014 Red padlock.png 5/20/2014 70
Pennsylvania Red padlock.png 3/11/2014 Red padlock.png 5/20/2014 70
Rhode Island Red padlock.png 6/25/2014 Red padlock.png 9/9/2014 76
South Carolina Red padlock.png 3/30/2014 Red padlock.png 6/10/2014 72
South Dakota Red padlock.png 3/25/2014 Red padlock.png 6/3/2014 70
Tennessee Red padlock.png 4/3/2014 Red padlock.png 8/7/2014 126
Texas Red padlock.png 12/9/2013 Red padlock.png 3/4/2014 85
Utah Red padlock.png 3/20/2014 Red padlock.png 6/24/2014 96
Vermont Red padlock.png 6/12/2014 Red padlock.png 8/26/2014 75
Washington Red padlock.png 5/17/2014 Red padlock.png 8/5/2014 80
West Virginia Red padlock.png 1/25/2014 Red padlock.png 5/13/2014 108
Wisconsin Red padlock.png 6/2/2014 Red padlock.png 8/12/2014 71
Wyoming Red padlock.png 5/30/2014 Red padlock.png 8/19/2014 81


Special Elections

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See also: State legislative special elections, 2014

There is one special election scheduled this week in South Carolina.

South Carolina State Senate District 32

See also: South Carolina state legislative special elections, 2014

Carl Anderson, Ronnie Sabb, Cezar McKnight and Sam L. Floyd faced off in the September 2 Democratic primary. Because no candidate received more than 50 percent of the vote, the top two vote-getters - Floyd and Sabb - met in a runoff election on September 16, which Sabb won.[32][33][34] Because no Republican candidate filed to run, the Democratic nominee won election by default.[35]

The seat was vacant following John McGill's (D) appointment as Lieutenant Governor of South Carolina.[36]

A special election for the position of South Carolina State Senate District 32 was initially called for November 4, concurrent with the 2014 state house elections. A primary election took place on September 2, 2014. Because only Democratic candidates filed to run, the primary instead served as the general election. The filing deadline for candidates wishing to run in this election was July 14.[35]

South Carolina State Senate, District 32, Special Election Runoff, 2014
Party Candidate Vote % Votes
     Democratic Green check mark transparent.pngRonnie Sabb 58.8% 9,648
     Democratic Sam L. Floyd 41.2% 6,774
Total Votes 16,422
South Carolina State Senate, District 32, Special Election, 2014
Party Candidate Vote % Votes
     Democratic Green check mark transparent.pngSam L. Floyd 32.3% 4,602
     Democratic Green check mark transparent.pngRonnie Sabb 24.5% 3,485
     Democratic Cezar McKnight 24.2% 3,448
     Democratic Carl Anderson 19% 2,710
Total Votes 14,245
Democratic PartySeptember 16 Democratic primary runoff candidates:

Looking ahead

Upcoming special elections include:

See also

Footnotes

  1. ↑ Las Vegas Review Journal, "Nevada Legislature opens special session for Tesla," September 10, 2014
  2. ↑ USA Today, "Nevada, Tesla announce huge 'Gigafactory' deal," September 5, 2014
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 Reno Gazette Journal, "Live coverage: Nevada Assembly passes two bills," September 11, 2014
  4. ↑ Nevada Appeal, "Assembly approves two Tesla Motors bills," September 11, 2014
  5. ↑ Greenville News, "Harrell indictment brings calls to resign," September 11, 2014
  6. ↑ WIS, "House Speaker Bobby Harrell suspends self from office," September 11, 2014
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 WLTX, "Gov. Haley Says Speaker Harrell Should Resign," September 10, 2014
  8. ↑ The Associated Press, "South Carolina House Speaker Bobby Harrell suspends himself from office after criminal charges," September 11, 2014
  9. ↑ WIS, "House Speaker Pro Tempore Jay Lucas formally suspends Bobby Harrell," accessed September 11, 2014
  10. ↑ Cleveland.com, "Ohio's 2014 legislative calendar will be crammed with election-year politicking and backroom pleading: Thomas Suddes," December 15, 2013
  11. ↑ Stateside Associates, " Session Calendar 2014," accessed September 15, 2014
  12. ↑ StateNet, " Daily Session Summary," accessed September 15, 2014
  13. ↑ Alaska Statutes, "Section 15.25, Nomination of Candidates," accessed October 31, 2013
  14. ↑ Secretary of State Website, "2014 Election Important Dates," accessed November 4, 2013
  15. ↑ Running for Public Office, "A 'Plain English' Handbook for Candidates," 2012 Edition, accessed October 21, 2013 (dead link)
  16. ↑ Arkansas Code of 1987, "Title 7, Elections," accessed October 30, 2013
  17. ↑ Summary of Qualifications and Requirements for the Office of State Senator, Member of the Assembly, "June 3, 2014, Primary Election," accessed October 21, 2013
  18. ↑ California Elections Code, "Section 8100-8107," accessed October 28, 2013
  19. ↑ California Secretary of State Website, "Key Dates and Deadlines," accessed October 21, 2013
  20. ↑ Colorado Secretary of State Website, "Major Political Parties FAQs," accessed October 31, 2013
  21. ↑ Colorado Revised Statutes, "Title 1, Elections," accessed October 31, 2013
  22. ↑ Connecticut Secretary of State Website, "Frequently Asked Questions, Nominating Papers," accessed October 31, 2013
  23. ↑ Florida Department of State Division of Elections, "2013-2014 Dates to Remember," accessed November 6, 2013
  24. ↑ 2013 Florida Statutes, "Section 99.061," accessed December 2, 2014
  25. ↑ Hawaii State Legislature, "HRS §12-6 Nomination papers: time for filing; fees", accessed May 22, 2013
  26. ↑ 2014 Kentucky Election Calendar, accessed November 12, 2013
  27. ↑ Kentucky State Board of Elections "Candidate Qualifications and Filing Fees" accessed November 26, 2011
  28. ↑ Maine Secretary of State "State of Maine 2014 Candidate's Guide to Ballot Access," accessed February 11, 2014
  29. ↑ The State Board of Elections, "Candidacy," accessed November 5, 2013
  30. ↑ 2014 Massachusetts State Primary and State Election Schedule, accessed December 2, 2013
  31. ↑ Official Election Calendar for the State of Nebraska, accessed November 18, 2014
  32. ↑ South Carolina State Election Commission, "Democratic Primary Runoff Official Results," accessed December 31, 2014
  33. ↑ WBTW, "SC Senate Seat 32 will move to a runoff after Tuesday vote," September 2, 2014
  34. ↑ South Carolina State Election Commission, "Democratic Primary Official Results," accessed September 30, 2014
  35. ↑ 35.0 35.1 The State, "Georgetown's Carl Anderson seeks state senate seat in special election," July 17, 2014
  36. ↑ Greenfield Reporter, "Correction: McGill-Special Election story," June 20, 2014
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