Bill Would Require South Carolina Cities to Hold Elections

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) – Mayors and city council members could no longer win their office by default under legislation advancing to the Senate floor.

The bill approved unanimously Tuesday by the Senate Judiciary Committee would require cities to hold elections, even if only one person has filed as a candidate.

Orangeburg Sen. Brad Hutto initially questioned the need, saying an election with no contest unnecessarily costs money and wastes voters’ time.

But Rep. Ralph Kennedy says citizens deserve the right to elect their local officials. The Leesville Republican says the two-week filing period can come and go before people realize it, and would-be candidates can still organize a write-in campaign.

Sen. Kevin Johnson of Manning says current law is allowing incumbents to keep their seats by being “hush-hush” about upcoming elections.