SC high court: Candidates can’t appear on ballots

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — South Carolina’s highest court says dozens of candidates cannot appear on the state’s primary ballots because of missing paperwork.

The state Supreme Court ruled Wednesday candidates should have filed financial paperwork when they filed to run for office in March.

Under a new system, the economic interest documents were supposed to be filed online with the state Ethics Commission, but the parties did not check for them. The forms include information like income and any lobbyists in the immediate family.

Two Lexington County voters sued the state Democratic and Republican parties and the South Carolina Election Commission, questioning the eligibility of a few candidates. But the justices suggested several times that a ruling against those candidates would apply to anyone who didn’t submit both sets of documents.

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Kinnard can be reached at http://twitter.com/MegKinnardAP