FGA Applauds South Carolina for Increasing Transparency and Accountability in State Elections
- BY FGA
NAPLES, FL—The Foundation for Government Accountability (FGA) applauds the South Carolina General Assembly and Governor Henry McMaster for passing Senate Bill 108, securing future elections. This legislation implements commonsense election reforms that will increase transparency and accountability in South Carolina’s democratic process.
S. 108, which was passed unanimously, includes provisions that:
- Prohibit the private funding of election administration (Zuckerbucks ban)
- Require voter ID on absentee ballot applications
- Strengthen absentee ballot witness requirements
- Ban the unsolicited distribution of absentee ballot applications and ballots by government officials or third parties
- Ban ballot harvesting
- Require regular voter roll maintenance
- Require an annual list maintenance report to the General Assembly
- Strengthen the prohibition on non-citizen voting
- Provide the South Carolina General Assembly standing to intervene in election lawsuits
- Require rigorous post-election audits
- Increase penalties for election officials who willfully neglect their duties or engage in corrupt conduct
- Require voter assistance identification.
- Allow for ballot pre-processing (not counting)
- Require unique ballot identifiers
- Establish a public reporting hotline
“The South Carolina General Assembly has put in place critical election reforms that will greatly increase transparency and trust in the democratic process,” said Madeline Malisa, Senior Fellow. “Secure and fair elections are the foundation of our democratic system. We applaud South Carolina lawmakers and Governor McMaster for passing one of the strongest election bills in the nation, making Election Day about the will of the voter, not special interests and politicians.”
In an effort to restore voter confidence, the Foundation for Government Accountability continues to support states that implement commonsense reforms that make it easy to vote and hard to cheat.
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The Foundation for Government Accountability (FGA) is a non-profit, multi-state think tank that promotes public policy solutions to create opportunities for every American to experience the American Dream. To learn more, visit TheFGA.org.
