Proposed bills could alter voter participation in future presidential primaries

Some bills would require voters to register with a particular party if they want to vote

COLUMBIA, S.C. (WOLO) —South Carolina lawmakers are coming forward with legislation that aims to restrict voters registered with other parties from taking part in the opposite party’s presidential primary election.

With the South Carolina Democratic Presidential Primary just days away, some Republican voters plan on crossing party lines and vote in the Democratic primary Saturday.

“This is the first time that I’m aware of there has been an orchestrated attempt by a party, including party officials and in this case Republicans, to interfere in a primary,” said Sen. Marlon Kimpson (D-Charleston County).

South Carolina is one of 15 states to have an open primary, meaning people don’t have to register with a party in order to vote.

However, Representative Steven Long (R-Spartanburg County) is proposing a bill that would essentially restrict primaries to voters registered with the electing party as well as independents.

“We don’t want people switching back and forth between parties left and right, so as part of the bill, you could only change your party affiliation once every two years. And if you’re an independent and vote in a primary, then you’re automatically registered to that party,” Rep. Long said.

Senator Kimpson has also proposed a bill that would restrict voters who choose to vote in a certain party’s presidential primary to only take part in primaries for that party.

However, he is not in favor of making South Carolina a closed primary state, saying reducing the size of the electorate would punish well-meaning voters who want their voices to be heard.

“I don’t want those folks to be penalized. This bill, in my view, is narrowly tailored to impact the people who are trying to, for bad faith reasons, influence the outcome of the Democratic primary process,” Sen. Kimpson said.

As those bills make their way up the legislative ladder, Rep. Long says any legislation is needed to restore integrity to the primary process.

“One of the most important things for our government is making sure we have fair, honest elections and having legislation like this passed is very important to make sure that elections are fair and they are honest,” said Rep. Long. 

In addition to those two bills, another bill, proposed by Republican Senators Rex Rice (R-Pickens County) and Richard Cash (R-Anderson County), would require voters to register with a political party in order to take part in that party’s primary.