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.

“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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