South-Carolina

Republican Fight Over Power Threatens SC Early Voting Bill

Published

3 years ago

April 21, 2022

Republican Fight Over Power Threatens SC Early Voting Bill

By JEFFREY COLLINS, Related Press

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — The probabilities of having true early voting in upcoming elections in South Carolina seems to be dying after the state Home and governor accused the Senate of an influence seize by giving itself the flexibility to substantiate the governor’s alternatives for the state elections board.

Gov. Henry McMaster informed no less than one senator he would veto the invoice that handed unanimously in each the Home and Senate if the adjustments made by the senators aren’t eliminated.

The invoice may not make it that far. The Home is able to reject the invoice as an alternative of accepting the Senate’s adjustments to present it the authority to approve or flip down the governor’s appointments to the State Election Fee. Either side agree the Senate ought to have a say within the company’s director.

Home Speaker Jay Lucas stated Thursday that the Senate model “ended any actual alternative for election reform this 12 months” whereas laying the blame on Senate Majority Chief Shane Massey. The governor, Home and Senate management are all Republicans, though the governor and Home usually align, leaving the Senate by itself, like differing on proposals to lift instructor pay or reduce taxes.

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“After two years of extraordinarily onerous work by many in each chambers, it’s a disgrace that the Senate Majority Chief selected to unnecessarily enhance his personal energy fairly than take concrete steps to make South Carolina’s elections probably the most safe in america,” Lucas stated in an announcement.

As an alternative of sending the invoice to a small convention committee of senators and Home members to work on a compromise, Home Majority Chief Gary Simrill stated if adjustments aren’t provided, the Home will ship the invoice again to committee. Such a step would seemingly kill it for this 12 months and which means the proposal will begin again at sq. one within the 2023 session after the November elections.

The invoice handed unanimously in each chambers due to compromise. It will open polling locations for normal early voting for 2 weeks earlier than elections, excluding Sundays. And it additionally would increase state-run audits of voting machines and poll counting after elections and will increase penalties for voter fraud.

However after the invoice handed the Home, the Senate added the flexibility for it to not simply approve of the director of the State Election Fee, but in addition the 5 members of the board that oversees the company.

Massey pushed for the availability, saying the governor did nothing when lawmakers had been livid on the company throughout the 2020 election for contemplating poll drop packing containers and eliminating witness signatures on absentee ballots with out their approval. Govt Director Marci Andino left on her personal to hitch a nonprofit election safety group.

“Proper now there isn’t any test. There’s none. Not solely does the governor not do something, however all of them are nonetheless there,” Massey stated.

In a speech Wednesday on the Senate flooring, Massey stated he would name the Home risk to kill off the invoice since they face reelection this 12 months.

“The concept the governor would veto this with all the opposite issues in there in an election 12 months — I name,” Massey stated.

Senators voted 35-9 to reject a proposal to revert again to simply having a say within the director.

Massey stated in a textual content message Thursday he appreciated the nice quantity of labor the Home put into election legislation adjustments and whereas there are some variations, he thinks each chambers agree on an important objects.

“The Senate will proceed to work in good religion to ship a robust election safety bundle, and I’m assured the Home will try this, as nicely,” Massey wrote.

McMaster did not give his veto risk publicly, however did write on Twitter shortly earlier than the Senate handed the invoice that Massey misled the Senate on a “widespread sense compromise.” His workers stated the proposal doesn’t enable the governor to even make non permanent appointments for the board when the Senate isn’t in session after Could, when each primaries and the overall election occur.

“If this invoice doesn’t change into legislation, the voters will know who accountable and why,” McMaster stated.

State Sen. Tom Davis, who was the legislative liaison for then-Gov, Mark Sanford almost 20 years in the past, stated he understood the Senate’s want for extra oversight. However the Beaufort Republican stated on this case they need to settle for oversight in further stories the State Election Fee has to present lawmakers as an alternative of probably killing a invoice that almost everybody in South Carolina appears to need.

“I’m actually actually involved numerous good work Goes to go for naught,” Davis stated. “If we don’t move this election reform invoice, there may be going to be hell to pay.”

The state permits in-person absentee voting earlier than elections, however voters should signal a kind with an excuse, like they are going to be out of city or working throughout ballot hours.

Comply with Jeffrey Collins on Twitter at https://twitter.com/JSCollinsAP.

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South-Carolina

BREAKING: No. 5 UCLA Stuns No. 1 South Carolina, Ends Epic Win Streak

Published

3 hours ago

November 24, 2024

Press Room

BREAKING: No. 5 UCLA Stuns No. 1 South Carolina, Ends Epic Win Streak

No. 5 UCLA pulled off something no team has been able to do since the 2023 NCAA Tournament — it defeated No. 1 South Carolina. And soundly.

The Bruins downed the Gamecocks, 77-62, at Pauley Pavilion on Sunday, ending South Carolina’s 43-game win streak,

The defending national champions, who went undefeated last season, hadn’t lost a game since the 2023 Final Four when they fell to Caitlyn Clark and the Iowa Hawkeyes. Ironically, the Gamecocks had defeated UCLA in the Sweet 16 of that tournament.

The Bruins were led by five double-digit scorers in Sunday’s win, including junior guard Londynn Jones, who led all Bruins with 15 points.

Junior center Lauren Betts recorded yet another double-double, posting 11 points while grabbing 14 boards.

Freshman guard Elina Aarnisalo tallied 13 points, and junior guards Kiki Rice and Gabriela Jaquez each finished with 11 points.

UCLA shot 47.5& from the field, including 47.6% from distance, as the Bruins made 10 3-pointers in the win.

They were able to come away with a double-digit victory despite turning the ball over 16 times. Meanwhile, they forced 11 turnovers, eight of which were steals. UCLA also recorded five blocks.

The Bruins won the battle of the boards, out-rebounding South Carolina 43 to 35. They also bested the Gamecocks in the assists department, 16-13.

UCLA never trailed and, at one point, held a 23-point lead.

With the win, the Bruins improve to a perfect 5-0 start. They will next face UT Martin on the road on Friday at 3 p.m. PST, 6 p.m. EST.

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South-Carolina

Did the College Football Playoff Field Open Up Enough for South Carolina?

Published

12 hours ago

November 24, 2024

Press Room

Did the College Football Playoff Field Open Up Enough for South Carolina?

After this weekend’s action, did the college football playoff open up enough for South Carolina to get in?

It was a chaotic weekend of college football as Ole Miss lost to Florida, Oklahoma dominated Alabama, Auburn beat Texas A&M in a thriller, Ohio State handled Indiana and Kansas upset Colorado. A lot of teams that were ahead of the South Carolina Gamecocks in the rankings, but the more important question is did enough spots open up for South Carolina to potentially sneak in?

The Gamecocks will certainly rise closer to the top 12 in the next release of the rankings. They came in at No. 18 this last week and will likely be somewhere around 15 in this week’s rankings. South Carolina might have been too far back to be on the back end of the playoff this go around, but they are certainly inching closer and closer.

There is however one problem for South Carolina. Despite Alabama losing, the Crimson Tide have virtually every edge for a playoff spot over the Gamecocks if a decision came down between them. Alabama has the head to head, they have the better win against Georgia, South Carolina lost to LSU and Alabama dominated LSU on the road. South Carolina does have the better strength of schedule ranking, but that hasn’t seemed to matter too much to the college football playoff committee.

The bottom line is South Carolina has played like on the best teams in college football as of late and has certainly done enough to put themselves into the conversation. However, if the decision came down to “which three loss SEC team do we want to put in?” the Crimson Tide likley check more boxes than South Carolina does.

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South Carolina at Clemson odds: Early point spread released for Palmetto Bowl, How to Watch

Published

20 hours ago

November 24, 2024

Press Room

South Carolina at Clemson odds: Early point spread released for Palmetto Bowl, How to Watch

South Carolina and Clemson are set to meet in a game that could potentially carry some College Football Playoff implications, however slim they may be.

The Tigers are looking to crack into the field with two losses, and they need every bit of momentum they can get to continue their climb up the rankings. A win over a very good Gamecocks team would certainly help.

According to lines listed by FanDuel, Clemson will open as a 2.5-point favorite over South Carolina in the contest. The game’s over/under point total has also been set at 51.5 points.

That sets the expectation going into the game: The Tigers are favored by a bit, but certainly not enough that you can make any sweeping generalizations about how the game should go. The Gamecocks can wreck games with their defensive line.

How to watch South Carolina at Clemson

Time: 12 p.m. ET, Nov. 30
Channel: ESPN, FuboTV (streaming)
Location: Memorial Stadium — Clemson, SC

Both teams have had a significant turnaround in the second half of the season after starting a bit slow out of the gates.

South Carolina had winnable games against LSU and Alabama slip by, but the Gamecocks have now ripped off five straight wins behind an improved sense of confidence and crisp execution from LaNorris Sellers and company.

The Gamecocks are playing with a different edge, perhaps following the tone set by a defensive line that can absolutely undress opponents at times. The Tigers will have to find a way to block that very good defensive front.

But Clemson has been good in its own right of late. The Tigers did let a game against Louisville slip away, but they’ve won nine of the last 10 games and have looked dominant in a few of them.

Both teams are coming off blowouts of inferior opponents, so they should be both well-rested and ready to roll on rivalry weekend.

Vegas has the Clemson-South Carolina contest pegged as a pretty close game, so buckle up and get ready for another edition of one of the south’s top rivalries.

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