South Carolina House of Representatives

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South Carolina House of
Representatives
SLP-Infobox Image-Color.png
General Information
Party control:   Republican
Session start:   January 14, 2025
Session end:   May 28, 2025
Term length:   2 years
Term limits:   None
Redistricting:  Legislative control
Salary:   $10,400/year + per diem
Members
Total:  124
Democrats:  36
Republicans:  86
Other:  0
Vacancies:  0
Leadership
Speaker:   G. Murrell Smith Jr. (R)
Maj. Leader:   Davey Hiott (R)
Min. Leader:   James Rutherford (D)
Elections
Last election:  November 5, 2024
Next election:  November 3, 2026

The South Carolina House of Representatives is the lower chamber of the South Carolina State Legislature. Alongside the South Carolina State Senate, it forms the legislative branch of the South Carolina state government and works alongside the governor of South Carolina to create laws and establish a state budget. Legislative authority and responsibilities of the South Carolina House of Representatives include passing bills on public policy matters, setting levels for state spending, raising and lowering taxes, and voting to uphold or override gubernatorial vetoes.

The South Carolina House of Representatives meets in the South Carolina State House in Columbia.

  • All 124 House seats were up for election in 2020. Click to read more »
  • In 2018, the partisan balance did not change, with Republicans holding their 80-44 majority.
  • South Carolina has a Republican state government trifecta. A trifecta exists when one political party simultaneously holds the governor’s office and majorities in both state legislative chambers. As of October 2, 2025, there are 23 Republican trifectas, 14 Democratic trifectas, and 13 divided governments where neither party holds trifecta control. In the 2020 election, Republicans had a net gain of two trifectas and two states under divided government became trifectas. Prior to that election, South Carolina had a Republican trifecta. There were 21 Republican trifectas, 15 Democratic trifectas, and 14 divided governments.

    • This page contains the following information on the South Carolina House of Representatives.

    Party control

    Current partisan control

    The table below shows the partisan breakdown of the South Carolina House of Representatives as of October 2025:

    Party As of October 2025
         Democratic Party 36
         Republican Party 86
         Other 0
         Vacancies 2
    Total 124

    Members

    Leadership

    The speaker of the House is the presiding officer of the body.

    Current leadership and members

    Salaries

    See also: Comparison of state legislative salaries
    State legislative salaries, 2024[1]
    SalaryPer diem
    $10,400/year$231/day

    Swearing in dates

    See also: When state legislators assume office after a general election

    South Carolina legislators assume office the Monday after the election.

    Membership qualifications

    See also: State legislature candidate requirements by state

    To be eligible to serve in the South Carolina House of Representatives, a candidate must be:[2]

    • A U.S. citizen at the time of filing
    • 21 years old at the filing deadline time
    • A resident of the district at the filing deadline time

    Historical party control

    Republicans won control of the South Carolina House of Representatives in 1994. In 2024, they won an 88-35 majority with one vacancy.

    The table below shows the partisan history of the South Carolina House following every general election from 1992 to 2024. All data from 2006 or earlier comes from Michael Dubin's Party Affiliations in the State Legislatures (McFarland Press, 2007). Data after 2006 was compiled by Ballotpedia staff.

    South Carolina House of Representatives election results: 1992-2024

    Year '92 '94 '96 '98 '00 '02 '04 '06 '08 '10 '12 '14 '16 '18 '20 '22 '24
    Democrats 73 58 53 59 54 51 50 51 53 48 46 47 44 44 43 36 35
    Republicans 50 62 70 64 70 73 74 73 71 75 78 77 80 80 81 88 88

    Trifecta history

    A state government trifecta is a term that describes single party government, when one political party holds the governor's office and has majorities in both chambers of the legislature in a state government. Republicans in South Carolina gained a state government trifecta as a result of the 2002 elections by taking control of the governorship. The table below shows state government trifectas in South Carolina from 1992 to 2019.

    South Carolina Party Control: 1992-2025
    No Democratic trifectas  •  Twenty-three years of Republican trifectas
    Scroll left and right on the table below to view more years.

    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 19 20 21 22 23 24 25
    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 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 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 R R R R R R R

    Elections

    Elections by year

    South Carolina state representatives serve two-year terms, with all seats up for election every two years. South Carolina holds elections for its legislature in even years.

    2026

    See also: South Carolina House of Representatives elections, 2026

    Elections for the South Carolina House of Representatives will take place in 2026. The general election is on November 3, 2026.

    2024

    See also: South Carolina House of Representatives elections, 2024

    Elections for the South Carolina House of Representatives took place in 2024. The general election was on November 5, 2024. The primary was June 11, 2024, and the primary runoff was June 25, 2024. The filing deadline was April 1, 2024.

    In the 2024 elections, maintained their majority 88-35 with one vacancy remaining after the election.

    South Carolina House of Representatives
    Party As of November 5, 2024 After November 6, 2024
         Democratic Party 35 34
         Republican Party 88 88
         Vacancy 1 2
    Total 124 124

    2022

    See also: South Carolina House of Representatives elections, 2022

    Elections for the South Carolina House of Representatives took place in 2022. The general election was on November 8, 2022. A primary was scheduled for June 14, 2022, and a primary runoff was scheduled for June 28, 2022. The filing deadline was March 30, 2022.

    In the 2022 elections, Republicans increased their majority in the state House from 80-43 with one vacancy to 88-36.

    South Carolina House of Representatives
    Party As of November 8, 2022 After November 9, 2022
         Democratic Party 43 36
         Republican Party 80 88
         Vacancy 1 0
    Total 124 124

    2020

    See also: South Carolina House of Representatives elections, 2020

    Elections for the office of South Carolina House of Representatives took place in 2020. The general election was held on November 3, 2020. A primary was scheduled for June 9, 2020, and a primary runoff was scheduled for June 23, 2020. The filing deadline was March 30, 2020.

    Heading into the election, Republicans held a 78-45 majority with one vacancy. The vacant seat was previously held by a Republican. Republicans gained two seats in the election, giving them an 81-43 majority.

    South Carolina State House
    Party As of November 3, 2020 After November 4, 2020
         Democratic Party 45 43
         Republican Party 78 81
         Vacancy 1 0
    Total 124 124

    2018

    See also: South Carolina House of Representatives elections, 2018

    Elections for the South Carolina House of Representatives took place in 2018. The primary election took place on June 12, 2018, and the general election was held on November 6, 2018. A primary runoff election took place on June 26, 2018. The candidate filing deadline was March 30, 2018.[3]

    In the 2018 elections, there was no change to the partisan balance of the South Carolina House of Representatives.

    South Carolina House of Representatives
    Party As of November 6, 2018 After November 7, 2018
         Democratic Party 44 44
         Republican Party 80 80
    Total 124 124

    2016

    See also: South Carolina House of Representatives elections, 2016

    Elections for the South Carolina House of Representatives took place in 2016. The primary election took place on June 14, 2016, and the general election was held on November 8, 2016. The primary runoff election was held on June 28, 2016. The candidate filing deadline was March 30, 2016. All 124 seats in the South Carolina House of Representatives were up for election in 2016.

    Heading into the election, Republicans held a 77-46 majority with one vacancy. Republicans gained three seats in the election, giving them a 80-44 majority.

    South Carolina House of Representatives
    Party As of November 7, 2016 After November 8, 2016
         Democratic Party 46 44
         Republican Party 77 80
         Vacancy 1 0
    Total 124 124

    Vacancies

    See also: How vacancies are filled in state legislatures

    If there is a vacancy in the South Carolina Legislature, the presiding officer of the chamber in which the vacancy happens must call for a special election. If candidates plan to seek the nomination through a political party primary or a political party convention, the filing period begins on the third Friday after the vacancy occurs. The qualifying deadline is eight days after the filing period opens.[10]

    If a candidate plans to seek the nomination via petition, all signatures must be submitted to the appropriate filing officer no later than 60 days before the election. All signatures must be verified by the filing officer no later than 45 days before the election.[11]

    A primary election must be held on the eleventh Tuesday after the vacancy occurs. If necessary, a primary runoff must be held on the thirteenth Tuesday after the vacancy occurs. The special election is held on the twentieth Tuesday after the vacancy occurs. If the twentieth Tuesday after the vacancy occurs is less than 60 days prior to the general election, the special election must be held on the same day as the general election.[11][12]

    DocumentIcon.jpg See sources: South Carolina Const. Art. III, § 25 and South Carolina Code Ann. § 7-13-190

    District map

    See also: South Carolina state legislative districts

    The state of South Carolina has 124 state House districts. Each district elects one representative.

    Use the interactive map below to find your district.

    Redistricting

    See also: Redistricting in South Carolina

    In South Carolina, congressional and state legislative district boundaries are drawn by the state legislature. These lines are subject to veto by the governor.[13]

    South Carolina's legislative redistricting committees adopted redistricting guidelines in 2011. These guidelines recommend that all congressional and state legislative districts be contiguous and "attempt to preserve communities of interest and cores of incumbents' existing districts." Further, the guidelines suggest that districts should "adhere to county, municipal, and voting precinct boundary lines." These guidelines may modified by the legislature at its discretion.[13]

    2020

    See also: Redistricting in South Carolina after the 2020 census

    Upon completion of the 2020 census, South Carolina will draft and enact new district maps. On November 18, 2021, Senate President Harvey Peeler (R) said senators will meet December 6, 2021, at 1 p.m. in a special session to address redistricting.[14]

    The following public hearing schedule was posted on the South Carolina Senate website.[15][16]

    South Carolina Senate Redistricting Committee public hearing schedule, 2020 cycle
    Date Location Time
    Tuesday, July 27, 2021 Gressette Building on State House grounds, Columbia 6:30 pm
    Wednesday, July 28, 2021 Central Carolina Technical College, Sumter 6:30 pm
    Thursday, July 29, 2021 York Technical College, Rock Hill 6:30 pm
    Monday, August 2, 2021 Greenville County Council Chambers, Greenville 6:30 pm
    Tuesday, August 3, 2021 Florence-Darlington Technical College, Florence 6:30 pm
    Wednesday, August 4, 2021 Technical College of the LowCountry, Beaufort 6:30 pm
    Monday, August 9, 2021 Orangeburg-Calhoun Technical College, Orangeburg 6:30 pm
    Tuesday, August 10, 2021 Trident Technical College, Charleston 6:30 pm
    Wednesday, August 11, 2021 Horry-Georgetown Technical College, Conway 6:30 pm
    Thursday, August 12, 2021 Aiken Technical College, Aiken 6:30 pm
    Wednesday, September 8, 2021 Horry-Georgetown Technical College, Myrtle Beach 6:00 pm
    Thursday, September 9, 2021 Florence-Darlington Tech, Florence 6:00 pm
    Monday, September 13, 2021 York Tech Barnes Theater, Rock Hill 6:00 pm
    Tuesday, September 14, 2021 Greenville Senior High School, Greenville 6:00 pm
    Wednesday, September 15, 2021 North Charleston City Hall, North Charleston 6:00 pm
    Thursday, September 16, 2021 Bluffton High School Auditorium, Bluffton 6:00 pm
    Monday, September 20, 2021 Aiken Tech Amphitheater, Graniteville 6:00 pm
    Tuesday, September 21, 2021 Piedmont Tech - Medford Center, Greenwood 6:00 pm
    Wednesday, September 22, 2021 Orangeburg Tech- Roquemore Auditorium, Orangeburg 6:00 pm
    Tuesday, September 28, 2021 Blatt Building, Columbia 4:30 pm
    Monday, October 4, 2021 Blatt Building, Columbia 4:30 pm

    2010

    South Carolina's population grew 15.3 percent to 4.6 million, making it the 10th fastest growing state in the country. However, this led the state's majority-minority districts to pale in light of the ideal district sizes (37,301 for the House and 100,551 for the Senate). On June 15, 2011, both chambers passed Senate-originated maps, and the U.S. Department of Justice cleared the maps in November 2011. As of July 2012, a federal decision upholding the maps was being appealed by the state Democrats; the 2012 elections are not affected.[17]

    Sessions

    Legislation

    The legislation tracker below displays all legislation that the South Carolina House of Representatives has approved in its most recent legislative session—this includes legislation that has been sent from the House to the Senate and legislation that has already been approved by both chambers and signed by the governor. Information on legislation provided below includes the bill number, its name, progress, most recent action date, and sponsor. The tracker is fully interactive. Scroll up and down and side to side to see more. Click the bill number to read its text in full and see its voting history. You can click the headings to sort the content in the column. You can also rearrange the order of the headings by clicking and dragging them. Finally, in the bottom-left corner of the tracker is a magnifying glass, which, when clicked, will allow you to search for specific terms. The legislation tracker is maintained and updated by BillTrack50.

    Dates of legislative sessions in South Carolina by year

    2025

    See also: 2025 South Carolina legislative session and Dates of 2025 state legislative sessions

    In 2025, the legislature was scheduled to convene on January 14, 2025, and adjourn on May 28, 2025.



    About legislative sessions in South Carolina

    The Tenth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution declares that any power not already given to the federal government is reserved to the states and the people.[28] State governments across the country use this authority to hold legislative sessions where a state's elected representatives meet for a period of time to draft and vote on legislation and set state policies on issues such as taxation, education, and government spending. The different types of legislation passed by a legislature may include resolutions, legislatively referred constitutional amendments, and bills that become law.

    Article III of the South Carolina Constitution establishes when the South Carolina State Legislature, of which the House of Representatives is a part, is to be in session. Section 9 of Article III states that the Legislature is to convene on the second Tuesday of January each year. Section 9 allows the General Assembly to recede from session for up to thirty days by a majority vote of the legislative house seeking to recede. Furthermore, one or both houses can recede from session for more than thirty days if that action is approved by two-thirds of the members.

    Legislative roles and procedures

    Every state legislature throughout the country features its own internal procedures that it uses to govern itself and how it interacts with other parts of state government. Ballotpedia's coverage of internal state legislative procedures includes veto overrides, the role of the legislature in the state budget, and procedures for filling membership vacancies.

    Veto overrides

    Veto Override Graphic-Republican Party.png

    See also: Veto overrides in state legislatures

    State legislatures can override governors' vetoes. Depending on the state, this can be done during the regular legislative session, in a special session following the adjournment of the regular session, or during the next legislative session. The rules for legislative overrides of gubernatorial vetoes in South Carolina are listed below.

    How many legislators are required to vote for an override? Two-thirds of members present in both chambers.

    Two-thirds of members present in both chambers must vote to override a veto. If all members are in attendance, this is 83 of the 124 members in the South Carolina House of Representatives and 31 of the 46 members in the South Carolina State Senate. South Carolina is one of 36 states that requires a two-thirds vote from both of its legislative chambers to override a veto.

    How can vetoes be overridden after the legislature has adjourned?

    Vetoes can be overridden in a special session or when the next regular session convenes.[29]

    Authority: Article IV, Section 21 of the South Carolina Constitution.

    "Every bill or joint resolution which shall have passed the General Assembly, except on a question of adjournment, shall, before it becomes a law, be presented to the Governor, and if he approves he shall sign it; if not, he shall return it, with his objections, to the house in which it originated, which shall enter the objections at large on its Journal and proceed to reconsider it. If after such reconsideration two-thirds of that house shall agree to pass it, it shall be sent, together with the objections, to the other house, by which it shall be reconsidered, and if approved by two-thirds of that house it shall have the same effect as if it had been signed by the Governor; but in all such cases the vote of both houses shall be taken by yeas and nays, and the names of the persons voting for and against the bill or joint resolution shall be entered on the Journals of both houses respectively."

    Role in state budget

    See also: South Carolina state budget and finances
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    Check out Ballotpedia articles about policy in your state on:
    Budgets • Civil liberties • Education • Elections • Energy • Environment • Healthcare • Pensions

    The state operates on an annual budget cycle. The sequence of key events in the budget process is as follows[30]

    1. In August of the year preceding the start of the new fiscal year, the governor sends budget instructions to state agencies.
    2. Between September and October, agencies submit their budget requests to the governor.
    3. Budget hearings are held with state agencies in October.
    4. In January, the governor submits his or her proposed budget to the state legislature.
    5. Both the House and the Senate pass a budget. If these versions do not match, a conference committee consisting of both House and Senate members is assembled to reconcile the differences.[31]
    6. The legislature adopts a budget in May. The fiscal year begins July 1.

    South Carolina is one of 44 states in which the governor has line item veto authority.[30][32]

    The governor is constitutionally required to submit a balanced budget to the legislature. In turn, the legislature must pass a balanced budget, and any budget signed into law by the governor must be balanced.[30]

    Committees

    See also: List of committees in South Carolina state government

    Every state legislature and state legislative chamber in the country contains several legislative committees. These committees are responsible for studying, amending, and voting on legislation before it reaches the floor of a chamber for a full vote. The different types of committees include standing committees, select or special, and joint.

    • Standing committees are generally permanent committees, the names of which sometimes change from session to session.
    • Select or special committees are temporary committees formed to deal with specific issues such as recent legislation, major public policy or proposals, or investigations.
    • Joint committees are committees that feature members of both chambers of a legislature.

    Ballotpedia covers standing and joint committees. The South Carolina House of Representatives has 13 standing committees:

    Constitutional amendments

    In every state but Delaware, voter approval is required to enact a constitutional amendment. In each state, the legislature has a process for referring constitutional amendments before voters. In 18 states, initiated constitutional amendments can be put on the ballot through a signature petition drive. There are also many other types of statewide measures.

    The methods by which the South Carolina Constitution can be amended:

    See also: Article XVI of the South Carolina Constitution and Laws governing ballot measures in South Carolina

    The South Carolina Constitution provides two mechanisms for amending the state's constitution— a legislative process and a state constitutional convention. South Carolina requires a simple majority vote (50% plus 1) for voters to approve constitutional amendments.

    Legislature

    See also: Legislatively referred constitutional amendment

    A two-thirds (66.67%) vote is required during one legislative session for the South Carolina State Legislature to place a constitutional amendment on the ballot. That amounts to a minimum of 82 votes in the South Carolina House of Representatives and 30 votes in the South Carolina State Senate, assuming no vacancies. Amendments do not require the governor's signature to be referred to the ballot.

    In South Carolina, the Legislature needs to approve a constitutional amendment for a second time after voters approve the amendment. This second vote requires a simple majority in the House and Senate.

    Convention

    See also: Convention-referred constitutional amendment

    According to Section 3 of Article XVI of the South Carolina Constitution, a constitutional convention can be held if two-thirds of the members of both houses of the South Carolina State Legislature vote to put the question on the ballot.


    See also

    Elections South Carolina State Government State Legislatures State Politics
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    South Carolina State Flag-Close Up.jpg
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    Footnotes

    1. ↑ National Conference of State Legislatures, "2024 Legislator Compensation," August 21, 2024
    2. ↑ South Carolina Secretary of State, "Qualifications for office," accessed December 18, 2013
    3. ↑ South Carolina Election Commission, "Nomination by Political Party," accessed September 4, 2017
    4. ↑ Follow the Money, "South Carolina House 2010 Campaign Contributions," accessed July 31, 2013
    5. ↑ Follow the Money, "South Carolina 2008 Candidates," accessed July 31, 2013
    6. ↑ Follow the Money, "South Carolina 2006 Candidates," accessed July 31, 2013
    7. ↑ Follow the Money, "South Carolina 2004 Candidates," accessed July 31, 2013
    8. ↑ Follow the Money, "South Carolina 2002 Candidates," accessed July 31, 2013
    9. ↑ Follow the Money, "South Carolina 2000 Candidates," accessed July 31, 2013
    10. ↑ South Carolina State Legislature, "South Carolina Code," accessed February 17, 2021 (Statute 7-13-190 (A)-(B))
    11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 South Carolina State Legislature, "South Carolina Code," accessed February 17, 2021 (Statute 7-13-190 (B))
    12. ↑ South Carolina State Legislature, "South Carolina Constitution," accessed February 17, 2021 (Article 3, Section 25)
    13. ↑ 13.0 13.1 All About Redistricting, "South Carolina," accessed May 8, 2015
    14. ↑ News 19, "South Carolina Senate plans December 6 special session," November 18, 2021
    15. ↑ South Carolina State House, "Senate Meeting Schedule," accessed July 27, 2021
    16. ↑ News19, "South Carolina lawmakers begin redistricting process," accessed July 27, 2021
    17. ↑ The State, "Democrats appeal redistricting lawsuit," March 20, 2012
    18. ↑ Multi State, "2015 State Legislative Session Dates," accessed June 30, 2015
    19. ↑ Laura McKenzie, The People Sentinel, "S.C. legislators begin debate on 2015 issues," January 15, 2015
    20. ↑ wspa.com, "Legislature Kicks Off With Old Issues On Agenda," January 14, 2014
    21. ↑ WJBF, "South Carolina Lawmakers Start Legislative Session Vowing To Protect Your Information And Improve Roads," January 8, 2013
    22. ↑ The State, "Legislative key issues," January 8, 2012
    23. ↑ National Conference of State Legislatures, "2011 Legislative Sessions Calendar," accessed June 6, 2014(Archived)
    24. ↑ The State, "Haley tells court she has right to call special session," June 6, 2011
    25. ↑ Wltx.com, "SC Supreme Court Rules Against Nikki Haley's Extra Session," June 6, 2011
    26. ↑ TheSunNews.com, "S.C. House to have special session in June," May 6, 2011
    27. ↑ The Island Packet, "S.C. Senate OKs new congressional districted anchored in Beaufort County," June 29, 2011
    28. ↑ Find Law, "Tenth Amendment - U.S. Constitution," accessed May 20, 2017
    29. ↑ The News & Observer "Special veto session unlikely for South Carolina Legislature," July 1, 2017
    30. ↑ 30.0 30.1 30.2 National Association of State Budget Officers, "Budget Processes in the States, Spring 2021," accessed January 24, 2023
    31. ↑ WLTX, "Where key bills stand as 2019 session ends," May 9, 2019
    32. ↑ National Conference of State Legislatures, "Separation of Powers: Executive Veto Powers," accessed January 26, 2024
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