South Carolina § 2-20-15 - Elective office; notice of vacancy.

§ 2-20-15. Elective office; notice of vacancy.

Pursuant to 2025 Act No. 74, SECTION 2, and 2025 Act No. 75, SECTION 2, this section shall not apply to elections for members of the Public Service Commission conducted by the General Assembly during 2025 and 2026.

For any office filled by election of the General Assembly for which screening is required pursuant to this chapter, except for judicial offices, the joint committee may not accept a notice of intention to seek the office from any candidate as provided by Section 2-20-10, until the clerk of the House or Senate, as appropriate, has certified that the proper notices required by this section have been published or provided or until the time for the publication of the notices has expired.

(1) If the office to be filled is from the State at large, a notice of the position vacancy must be forwarded to three newspapers of general circulation in the State with a request that it be published at least once a week for four consecutive weeks. If the office to be filled is from a congressional district, judicial circuit, or other area of this State less than the State at large, a notice of the position vacancy must be forwarded to three newspapers of general circulation in that district, circuit, or area with a request that it be published at least once a week for four consecutive weeks.

(2) Notices of the position vacancy also must be furnished, on or before the date of the first newspaper publication provided in item (1), in writing to any person who has informed the committee that he desires to be notified of the vacancy.

(3) If the office to be filled is from a congressional district, judicial circuit, or other area of the State but not from the State at large, notices of the position vacancy also must be provided to each member of the General Assembly representing a portion of that district, circuit, or area. If it is a position filled from the State at large, each member of the General Assembly shall receive the notice.

(4) The cost of the notification process required by this section must be absorbed and paid from the approved accounts of both houses as contained in the annual general appropriations act.

Nothing in this section prevents the joint committee from providing notices other than those required by this section, which the committee believes are appropriate.

HISTORY: 1996 Act No. 391, Part II, SECTION 2; 2017 Act No. 17 (S.213), SECTION 1, eff May 9, 2017.

Editor's Note

2025 Act No. 74, SECTION 2, and 2025 Act No. 75, SECTION 2, provide as follows:

"SECTION 2. Section 2-20-15 of the S.C. Code shall not apply to elections for members of the Public Service Commission conducted by the General Assembly during [Calendar Years 2025 and 2026]."

Effect of Amendment

2017 Act No. 17, SECTION 1, reenacted the section with no apparent changes.