Primary elections in South Carolina - Ballotpedia

From Ballotpedia

A primary election is an election used either to narrow the field of candidates for a given elective office or to determine the nominees for political parties in advance of a general election. Primary elections can take several different forms. In a partisan primary, voters select a candidate to be a political party's nominee for a given office in the corresponding general election. Nonpartisan primaries are used to narrow the field of candidates for nonpartisan offices in advance of a general election. The terms of participation (e.g., whether only registered party members can vote in a party's primary) in primary elections can vary by jurisdiction, political party, and the office or offices up for election. The methods employed to determine the outcome of the primary (e.g., plurality systems, majority systems, top-two systems, etc.) can also vary by jurisdiction.

HIGHLIGHTS

See the sections below for general information on the use of primary elections in the United States and specific information on the types of primaries held in South Carolina:

1. Background: This section outlines the different types of primary election participation models used in the United States, including open primaries, closed primaries, semi-closed primaries, and top-two primaries. This section also details the various methods employed to determine the outcomes of primary elections.
2. Primary election systems used in South Carolina: This section details the primary election systems employed in South Carolina, including primaries for congressional and state-level offices (e.g., state legislative seats, state executive offices, etc).
3. State legislation: This sections lists state legislation relevant to primary election policy in South Carolina.

Background

In general, there are two broad criteria by which primary elections can vary from jurisdiction to jurisdiction:

1. Terms of participation: In jurisdictions that conduct partisan primaries, who can vote in a party's primary? Is participation limited to registered party members, or can other eligible voters (such as unaffiliated voters or voters belonging to other parties) participate? In general, there are three basic types of primary election participation models: open primaries, closed primaries, and semi-closed primaries.
2. Methods for determining the election's outcome: What share of the total votes cast does a candidate have to receive in order to advance to the general election? Methods for determining primary election outcomes include plurality voting systems, majority voting systems, and top-two primaries.

For more complete information on these criteria, click "[Show more]" below.

Terms of participation

The terms of participation in primary elections vary from jurisdiction to jurisdiction (and, sometimes, within a jurisdiction; different political parties may enforce different participation criteria). In general, there are three basic primary election participation models used in the United States:

1. Open primaries: An open primary is any primary election in which a voter either does not have to formally affiliate with a political party in order to vote in its primary or can declare his or her affiliation with a party at the polls on the day of the primary even if the voter was previously affiliated with a different party.[1][2]
2. Closed primaries: A closed primary is any primary election in which a voter must affiliate formally with a political party in advance in order to participate in that party's primary.[1][2]
3. Semi-closed primaries: A semi-closed primary is one in which previously unaffiliated voters can participate in the primary of their choosing. Voters who previously affiliated with a political party who did not change their affiliations in advance cannot vote in another party's primary.[1][2]

Methods for determining the election's outcome

Methods for tallying votes to determine a primary election's outcome include the following:

1. Plurality voting system: In plurality systems, the candidate who wins the largest share of the vote wins the election. The candidate need not win an outright majority to be elected. These systems are sometimes referred to as first-past-the-post or winner-take-all.[3][4]
2. Majority voting system: In majority systems, a candidate must win more than 50 percent of the vote in order to win the election. In the event that no candidate wins an outright majority, a runoff election is held between the top two vote-getters. For this reason, majority systems are sometimes referred to as two-round systems. Ranked-choice voting is a specific type of majority voting system that may also be used in primary elections.[3][4]
3. Top-two primaries: A top-two primary is one in which all candidates are listed on the same primary election ballot; the top two vote-getters, regardless of their partisan affiliations, advance to the general election. Consequently, it is possible that two candidates belonging to the same political party could win in a top-two primary and face off in the general election. A top-two primary should not be confused with a blanket primary. In a blanket primary, all candidates are listed on the same primary ballot; the top vote-getter from each party participating in the primary advances to the general election.[2][5][6]

Primary election systems used in South Carolina

Congressional and state-level elections

In 22 states, at least one political party utilizes open primaries to nominate partisan candidates for congressional and state-level (e.g. state legislators, governors, etc.) offices. In 15 states, at least one party utilizes closed primaries to nominate partisan candidates for these offices. In 14 states, at least one party utilizes semi-closed primaries. In two (California and Washington), top-two primaries are utilized.[7]

As South Carolina does not provide for registration by party, party primaries are open. Voters may choose which party's ballot they wish to vote on in the primary, but may only vote in one party's primary. Winners in primary contests are determined by majority vote. If no candidate wins a majority, a runoff election is held two weeks following the primary.[1][2] [8]

The table below lists South Carolina offices for which parties must conduct primary elections to nominate their candidates.

State legislation and ballot measures

Primary systems legislation

The following is a list of recent primary election systems bills that have been introduced in or passed by the South Carolina state legislature. To learn more about each of these bills, click the bill title. This information is provided by BillTrack50 and LegiScan.

Note: Due to the nature of the sorting process used to generate this list, some results may not be relevant to the topic. If no bills are displayed below, no legislation pertaining to this topic has been introduced in the legislature recently.

Primary systems ballot measures

Since 2017, Ballotpedia has tracked no ballot measures relating to primary elections in South Carolina.

See also

• Electoral systems in South Carolina
• Voting in South Carolina
• Primary election

External links

• National Conference of State Legislatures, "State Primary Election Types"
• FairVote, "Primaries"

1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 FairVote, "Who Can Vote in Congressional Primaries," accessed August 17, 2017
2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 National Conference of State Legislatures, "State Primary Election Types," July 21, 2016
3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 FairVote, "Electoral Systems," accessed July 7, 2017
4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 Georgetown University, "Electoral Systems," accessed July 7, 2017
5. ↑ USLegal.com, "Blanket Primary Law and Legal Definition," accessed January 13, 2016
6. ↑ Encyclopedia Brittanica, "Primary Election," accessed January 13, 2016
7. ↑ Louisiana utilizes a two-round electoral system in which the names of all eligible candidates are printed on the general election ballot. If a candidate wins more than 50 percent of the vote in the general election, he or she is elected. If no candidate wins an outright majority in the general election, a runoff election is held between the top two vote-getters. This system is sometimes referred to as a jungle primary or majority electoral system. In Nebraska's nonpartisan state legislature employs a top-two primary system in which the top two vote-getters in the primary face off in the general election.
8. ↑ South Carolina Statehouse, "SECTION 7-17-600. No candidate shall be declared nominated in first primary without majority vote," accessed September 2, 2017