in South Carolina

Fiscal Budgets South Carolina state budget and finances Tax policy in South Carolina Finance Financial regulation in South Carolina Pensions Public pensions in South Carolina Pension health in South Carolina Civil liberties Affirmative action in South Carolina Campaign finance requirements in South Carolina Campaign finance requirements for South Carolina ballot measures Nonprofit regulation in South Carolina Education Charter schools in South Carolina Higher education in South Carolina Public education in South Carolina School choice in South Carolina Elections Ballot access Ballot access requirements for political candidates in South Carolina Ballot access requirements for political parties in South Carolina Political parties in South Carolina Ballot access requirements for presidential candidates in South Carolina Redistricting in South Carolina Voting in South Carolina Energy andEnvironment Energy policy in South Carolina Fracking in South Carolina Oil and gas extraction on federal land in South Carolina Endangered species in South Carolina Environmental policy in South Carolina Healthcare Healthcare policy in South Carolina Medicaid spending in South Carolina Effect of the Affordable Care Act in South Carolina Immigration Immigration in South Carolina

Ballot access for major and minor party candidates
Ballot access for presidential candidates
Select a state below to learn more about ballot access requirements for candidates in that state.
AlabamaAlaskaArizonaArkansasCaliforniaColoradoConnecticutDelawareFloridaGeorgiaHawaiiIdahoIllinoisIndianaIowaKansasKentuckyLouisianaMaineMarylandMassachusettsMichiganMinnesotaMississippiMissouriMontanaNebraskaNevadaNew HampshireNew JerseyNew MexicoNew YorkNorth CarolinaNorth DakotaOhioOklahomaOregonPennsylvaniaRhode IslandSouth CarolinaSouth DakotaTennesseeTexasUtahVermontVirginiaWashingtonWest VirginiaWisconsinWyomingSubmit
Ballot access requirements for political parties in the United States
List of political parties in the United States
Ballotpedia's Election Administration Legislation Tracker
Note: This article is not intended to serve as a guide to running for public office. Individuals should contact theirstate election agencies for further information.

In order to get on the ballot in South Carolina, a candidate for state or federal office must meet a variety of state-specific filing requirements and deadlines.These regulations, known as ballot access laws, determine whether a candidate or party will appear on an election ballot. These laws are set at the state level. A candidate must prepare to meet ballot access requirements well in advance of primaries, caucuses, and the general election.

There are three basic methods by which an individual may become a candidate for office in a state.

1. An individual can seek the nomination of a state-recognized political party.
2. An individual can run as an independent. Independent candidates often must petition in order to have their names printed on the general election ballot.
3. An individual can run as a write-in candidate.

This article outlines the steps that prospective candidates for state-level and congressional office must take in order to run for office in South Carolina. For information about filing requirements for presidential candidates,click here. Information about filing requirements for local-level offices is not available in this article (contactstate election agencies for information about local candidate filing processes).

Seestate election laws

Year-specific filing information

2026

See also:Signature requirements and deadlines for 2026 U.S. Congress elections andSouth Carolina elections, 2026

U.S. Senate

The table below details filing requirements for U.S. Senate candidates in South Carolina in the 2026 election cycle. For additional information on candidate ballot access requirements in South Carolina, clickhere.

U.S. House

The table below details filing requirements for U.S. House candidates in South Carolina in the 2026 election cycle. For additional information on candidate ballot access requirements in South Carolina, clickhere.

Governor

The table below details filing requirements for gubernatorial candidates in South Carolina in the 2026 election cycle. For additional information on candidate ballot access requirements in South Carolina, clickhere.

State House

The table below details filing requirements for South Carolina House of Representatives candidates in the 2026 election cycle. For additional information on candidate ballot access requirements in South Carolina, clickhere.

For filing information from previous years, click "[Show more]" below.

Process to become a candidate

See statutes:Title 7, Chapter 11 of the South Carolina Code

In South Carolina, a candidate can run as the nominee of a political party, as an independent, or as a write-in.

For partisan candidates

Non-presidential candidates seeking a party nomination for a general or special election must file the State Election Commission’s Statement of Intention of Candidacy/Party Pledge Form (SICPP) and pay the required fee—or submit a fee-petition signed by registered voters equal to the fee—between noon on March 16 and noon on March 30 (with the deadline extended to the next business day if the 30th falls on a weekend or holiday). Federal, statewide, and multi-county district candidates file with the State Election Commission; those running for State Senate, House, or county offices file with their home-county election commission. A candidate who files as aDemocrat orRepublican must pay afiling fee.^[3]

Upon receipt, the filing officer stamps each form and fee receipt with the date and time received, retains the original, provides a copy to the candidate, and forwards a copy to the appropriate party executive committee. No name may appear on any primary ballot, convention slate, or general/special election ballot until certification by that committee, and any minor error or omission in filings must be construed in the candidate’s favor if statutory qualifications are otherwise met.

If, after the close of filing, two or fewer candidates remain for an office and one withdraws or dies, the party committee—or, for legislative seats, the state committee—may at its discretion reopen nominations. Both the county party chair and the state executive committee chair may designate observers to monitor filings. These rules do not apply to nonpartisan school-trustee elections governed by local law, which prevail in the event of any conflict.^[4][3]

For independent candidates

An independent candidate must be nominated by petition. The petition must contain signatures equaling at least 5 percent of the qualified registered electors in the geographical area of the office being sought. No petition candidate is required to collect more than 10,000 signatures for any office.^[5][6]

Petition candidates for multi-county offices must file their petitions with the South Carolina State Election Commission. All petition candidates for the state legislature also file with the State Election Commission. A petition candidate must also file a statement of economic interests with the State Ethics Commission. Signature requirements are detailed in the table below.^[6]

No candidates is required to collect more than 10,000 signatures.^[5]

For write-in candidates

Generally, there are no filing forms or fees required to run as a write-in candidate. However, a write-in candidate should notify the appropriate election commission in writing that he or she is conducting a write-in campaign. A candidate who was defeated in a political party's primary may not actively campaign as a write-in candidate for the ensuing election.^[6][7]

Petition requirements

See also:Methods for signing candidate nominating petitions

See statutes:Section 7-11-80 of the South Carolina Code

In some cases, candidates may need to obtain signatures via the petition process with relation to ballot access. This section outlines the laws and regulations pertaining topetitions andcirculators.

Format requirements

A petition must adhere to the following formatting requirements:^[8]

1. The petition must be printed be on good quality original bond paper sized 8 1/2 by 14 inches.
2. The petition must include a concise statement of purpose (in the case of nomination of candidates, the name of the candidate, the office being sought, and the date of the election).
3. The petition must contain the following information in separate columns (from left to right):
   • Signature of voter and printed name of voter
   • Address of residence where registered
   • Precinct of voter
4. No single petition page can contain the signatures of registered voters from different counties.
5. All signatures must be numbered consecutively.
6. Petitions comprising more than one page must have the pages consecutively numbered upon filing with the appropriate authority.

Noteworthy events

2022

On August 18, 2022, Circuit Judge Alison Renee Lee directed the South Carolina Election Commission not to put the names of three Labor Party candidates on the general-election ballot. Earlier in the year, one Labor Party co-chair, Donna Dewitt, sent a letter to the state election commission certifying the names of its candidates in the general election. However, the other co-chair, Willie Legette, reported that the party had decided in March not to run any candidates in the general election. The state election commission, determining that it had no authority to settle the dispute between the co-chairs, accepted Dewitt's certification letter. This prompted the Democratic Party to file suit, arguing that the Labor Party's nominating convention, scheduled for July 30, 2022, was two months later than allowed under state law. Gary Votour, one of the candidates affected by Lee's ruling, had argued in court that the July 30 convention was a continuation of the party's 2020 convention, making the state-imposed deadline inapplicable. Lee rejected this argument: "To reconvene a convention, a political party must first convene one. Indeed, if a political party could simply deem any convention to be ‘reconvened’ from a prior one, it would render the deadline imposed by [state law] meaningless." Lee, reasoning that the case turned on whether the Labor Party had complied with the state deadline, concluded that it had not. Votour toldThe Post and Courier that he would appeal the ruling to the state supreme court.^[9][10]

2012

South Carolina Supreme Court building in Columbia

See also:South Carolina House of Representatives elections, 2012 andSouth Carolina State Senate elections, 2012

During the 2012 election cycle, nearly 250South Carolina candidates were removed from the primary ballot due to the failure of these candidates to file statements of economic interests by March 30, 2012. According to state law, candidates that had missed the filing deadline could not appear on the primary ballot. In April 2012, the State Ethics Commission extended the deadline by 10 days. The issue was ultimately brought before theSouth Carolina Supreme Court.^[11]

In May 2012, the state supreme court ruled unanimously that any candidate who had not filed the necessary form would be ineligible to run, and subsequently ordered the political parties to remove candidates from the primary ballots.^[12] The court also denied a rehearing requested by South Carolina Republican Party, the state Democratic Party, and the state election commission.^[13]

Contact information

Election agencies

Seal of the U.S. Election Assistance Commission

See also:State election agencies

Individuals seeking additional information about election administration in South Carolina can contact the following local, South Carolina, and federal agencies.

South Carolina Voter Registration and Elections Offices

Click here for a list

South Carolina State Election Commission

Physical Address: 1122 Lady Street, Suite 500

Columbia, South Carolina 29201

Mailing Address: P.O. Box 5987

Columbia, South Carolina 29250-5987

Phone: 803-734-9060

Fax: 803-734-9366

Email:elections@elections.sc.gov

Website:https://scvotes.gov

South Carolina State Ethics Commission

201 Executive Center Drive, Suite 150

Columbia, South Carolina 29210

Phone: 803-253-4192

Fax: 803-253-7539

Email:https://ethics.sc.gov/about-us/contact-us

Website:https://ethics.sc.gov

U.S. Election Assistance Commission

633 3rd Street NW, Suite 200

Washington, DC 20001

Phone: 301-563-3919

Toll free: 1-866-747-1471

Email:clearinghouse@eac.gov

Website:https://www.eac.gov

---

Do you need information about elections inyour area? Are you looking foryour local election official?Click here to visit theU.S. Vote Foundation and use their election official lookup tool.

---

Term limits

State executives

See also:State executives with term limits andStates with gubernatorial term limits

The state executive term limits inSouth Carolina are as follows:

• Thegovernor must wait four years and/or one full term before becoming eligible to serve again after serving two consecutive terms.
• Thelieutenant governor may serve a total of two terms.

State legislators

See also:State legislatures with term limits

There are no term limits placed on South Carolina state legislators.

Congressional partisanship

See also:List of United States Representatives from South Carolina andList of United States Senators from South Carolina

Below is the current partisan breakdown of the congressional delegation fromSouth Carolina.

Related legislation

The table below lists bills related to ballot access requirements for candidates that have been introduced during (or carried over to) the current legislative session in South Carolina. The following information is included for each bill:

• State
• Bill number
• Official bill name or caption
• Most recent action date
• Legislative status
• Sponsor party
• Topics dealt with by the bill

Bills are organized by most recent action. The table displays up to 100 results. To view more bills, use the arrows in the upper-right corner. Clicking on a bill will open its page onBallotpedia's Election Administration Legislation Tracker, which includes bill details and a summary.

The Ballot Bulletin

TheBallot Bulletin is a weekly email that delivers the latest updates on election policy. The Ballot Bulletin tracks developments in election policy around the country, including legislative activity, big-picture trends, and recent news. Each email contains in-depth data from ourElection Administration Legislation Tracker. You'll also be able to track relevant legislation, with links to and summaries of the bills themselves.

Recent issues

Click below to view recent issues of The Ballot Bulletin.

• The Ballot Bulletin: February 13, 2026
• The Ballot Bulletin: February 6, 2026
• The Ballot Bulletin: January 30, 2026
• The Ballot Bulletin: January 23, 2026
• The Ballot Bulletin: January 16, 2026

Subscribe

Enter your email address below to subscribe to The Ballot Bulletin.

See also

• Ballot access requirements for presidential candidates in South Carolina
• Ballot access requirements for political parties in South Carolina
• South Carolina elections, 2026
• Campaign finance requirements in South Carolina
• Counties in South Carolina
• List of United States Representatives from South Carolina
• List of United States Senators from South Carolina
• Methods for signing candidate nominating petitions
• State executives with term limits
• States with gubernatorial term limits
• State legislatures with term limits

External links

Official state and federal links

• South Carolina State Election Commission
• Federal Election Commission
• South Carolina State Election Commission, "Candidates"

Other information

• Ballot Access News – News updates and analysis of ballot access issues
• ThirdPartyPolitics.us – Blog about American minor party and independent politics
• National Voter Outreach – Political consulting firm that specializes in organizing petition signature drives

Footnotes

v • e Election policy Election legislation Ballotpedia's Election Administration Legislation Tracker •Ballotpedia's The Ballot Bulletin •Election legislation tracking: list of sub-topics •Absentee/mail-in voting •Early voting •Election dates and deadlines •Election Day voting •Ranked-choice voting •Redistricting •Voter registration Election administration Alabama •Alaska •Arizona •Arkansas •California •Colorado •Connecticut •Delaware •Florida •Georgia •Hawaii •Idaho •Illinois •Indiana •Iowa •Kansas •Kentucky •Louisiana •Maine •Maryland •Massachusetts •Michigan •Minnesota •Mississippi •Missouri •Montana •Nebraska •Nevada •New Hampshire •New Jersey •New Mexico •New York •North Carolina •North Dakota •Ohio •Oklahoma •Oregon •Pennsylvania •Rhode Island •South Carolina •South Dakota •Tennessee •Texas •Utah •Vermont •Virginia •Washington •Washington, D.C. •West Virginia •Wisconsin •Wyoming Voting policy Alabama •Alaska •Arizona •Arkansas •California •Colorado •Connecticut •Delaware •Florida •Georgia •Hawaii •Idaho •Illinois •Indiana •Iowa •Kansas •Kentucky •Louisiana •Maine •Maryland •Massachusetts •Michigan •Minnesota •Mississippi •Missouri •Montana •Nebraska •Nevada •New Hampshire •New Jersey •New Mexico •New York •North Carolina •North Dakota •Ohio •Oklahoma •Oregon •Pennsylvania •Rhode Island •South Carolina •South Dakota •Tennessee •Texas •Utah •Vermont •Virginia •Washington •West Virginia •Wisconsin •Wyoming Electoral systems policy Alabama •Alaska •Arizona •Arkansas •California •Colorado •Connecticut •Delaware •Florida •Georgia •Hawaii •Idaho •Illinois •Indiana •Iowa •Kansas •Kentucky •Louisiana •Maine •Maryland •Massachusetts •Michigan •Minnesota •Mississippi •Missouri •Montana •Nebraska •Nevada •New Hampshire •New Jersey •New Mexico •New York •North Carolina •North Dakota •Ohio •Oklahoma •Oregon •Pennsylvania •Rhode Island •South Carolina •South Dakota •Tennessee •Texas •Utah •Vermont •Virginia •Washington •West Virginia •Wisconsin •Wyoming Primary elections policy Alabama •Alaska •Arizona •Arkansas •California •Colorado •Connecticut •Delaware •Florida •Georgia •Hawaii •Idaho •Illinois •Indiana •Iowa •Kansas •Kentucky •Louisiana •Maine •Maryland •Massachusetts •Michigan •Minnesota •Mississippi •Missouri •Montana •Nebraska •Nevada •New Hampshire •New Jersey •New Mexico •New York •North Carolina •North Dakota •Ohio •Oklahoma •Oregon •Pennsylvania •Rhode Island •South Carolina •South Dakota •Tennessee •Texas •Utah •Vermont •Virginia •Washington •West Virginia •Wisconsin •Wyoming Redistricting policy Alabama •Alaska •Arizona •Arkansas •California •Colorado •Connecticut •Delaware •Florida •Georgia •Hawaii •Idaho •Illinois •Indiana •Iowa •Kansas •Kentucky •Louisiana •Maine •Maryland •Massachusetts •Michigan •Minnesota •Mississippi •Missouri •Montana •Nebraska •Nevada •New Hampshire •New Jersey •New Mexico •New York •North Carolina •North Dakota •Ohio •Oklahoma •Oregon •Pennsylvania •Rhode Island •South Carolina •South Dakota •Tennessee •Texas •Utah •Vermont •Virginia •Washington •West Virginia •Wisconsin •Wyoming Recount laws Alabama •Alaska •Arizona •Arkansas •California •Colorado •Connecticut •Delaware •Florida •Georgia •Hawaii •Idaho •Illinois •Indiana •Iowa •Kansas •Kentucky •Louisiana •Maine •Maryland •Massachusetts •Michigan •Minnesota •Mississippi •Missouri •Montana •Nebraska •Nevada •New Hampshire •New Jersey •New Mexico •New York •North Carolina •North Dakota •Ohio •Oklahoma •Oregon •Pennsylvania •Rhode Island •South Carolina •South Dakota •Tennessee •Texas •Utah •Vermont •Virginia •Washington •West Virginia •Wisconsin •Wyoming Ballot access for political candidates Alabama •Alaska •Arizona •Arkansas •California •Colorado •Connecticut •Delaware •Florida •Georgia •Hawaii •Idaho •Illinois •Indiana •Iowa •Kansas •Kentucky •Louisiana •Maine •Maryland •Massachusetts •Michigan •Minnesota •Mississippi •Missouri •Montana •Nebraska •Nevada •New Hampshire •New Jersey •New Mexico •New York •North Carolina •North Dakota •Ohio •Oklahoma •Oregon •Pennsylvania •Rhode Island •South Carolina •South Dakota •Tennessee •Texas •Utah •Vermont •Virginia •Washington •West Virginia •Wisconsin •Wyoming Ballot access for presidential candidates Alabama •Alaska •Arizona •Arkansas •California •Colorado •Connecticut •Delaware •Florida •Georgia •Hawaii •Idaho •Illinois •Indiana •Iowa •Kansas •Kentucky •Louisiana •Maine •Maryland •Massachusetts •Michigan •Minnesota •Mississippi •Missouri •Montana •Nebraska •Nevada •New Hampshire •New Jersey •New Mexico •New York •North Carolina •North Dakota •Ohio •Oklahoma •Oregon •Pennsylvania •Rhode Island •South Carolina •South Dakota •Tennessee •Texas •Utah •Vermont •Virginia •Washington •West Virginia •Wisconsin •Wyoming Ballot access for political parties Alabama •Alaska •Arizona •Arkansas •California •Colorado •Connecticut •Delaware •Florida •Georgia •Hawaii •Idaho •Illinois •Indiana •Iowa •Kansas •Kentucky •Louisiana •Maine •Maryland •Massachusetts •Michigan •Minnesota •Mississippi •Missouri •Montana •Nebraska •Nevada •New Hampshire •New Jersey •New Mexico •New York •North Carolina •North Dakota •Ohio •Oklahoma •Oregon •Pennsylvania •Rhode Island •South Carolina •South Dakota •Tennessee •Texas •Utah •Vermont •Virginia •Washington •West Virginia •Wisconsin •Wyoming Electoral systems Single-winner system •Multi-winner system •Block voting system •Plurality voting system •Majority voting system •Top-two primary •Blanket primary •Open primary •Closed primary •Semi-closed primary •Top-four primary •Ranked-choice voting (RCV) •STAR voting •Approval voting •Fusion voting