South Carolina House of Representatives elections, 2020

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2020 South Carolina House Elections
General	November 3, 2020
Primary	June 9, 2020
Primary runoff	June 23, 2020

Past Election Results

2018・2016・2014 2012・2010・2008

2020 Elections
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Republicans gained seats in the 2020 elections for South Carolina House of Representatives, preserving their majority. All 124 seats in the chamber were up for election in 2020. Heading into the election, Republicans held 78 seats, Democrats held 45, and one was vacant. Republicans gained a net two seats, meaning Republicans expanded their majority to 81-43.

The South Carolina House of Representatives was one of 86 state legislative chambers with elections in 2020. All 124 House seats were up for election in 2020. There are 99 chambers throughout the country. In 2018, 87 out of 99 legislative chambers held elections.

A special election was called for District 107 of South Carolina House of Representatives. Click here for more on the special elections.

South Carolina's 2020 state legislative elections affected partisan control of redistricting following the 2020 census. In South Carolina, the state legislature is responsible for drafting both congressional and state legislative district plans. District plans are subject to gubernatorial veto.

Election procedure changes in 2020

See also: Changes to election dates, procedures, and administration in response to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, 2020

Ballotpedia provided comprehensive coverage of how election dates and procedures changed in 2020. While the majority of changes occurred as a result of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, some changes occurred for other reasons.

South Carolina modified its absentee/mail-in and in-person voting procedures for the November 3, 2020, general election as follows:

• Absentee/mail-in voting: Any eligible voter could request an absentee ballot for the general election. Return postage for all mailed absentee ballots was prepaid.
• In-person voting: In-person absentee voting was authorized to begin on October 5, 2020.

For a full timeline about election modifications made in response to the COVID-19 outbreak, click here.

Party control

See also: Partisan composition of state houses and State government trifectas

South Carolina State House
Party		As of November 3, 2020	After November 4, 2020
	Democratic Party	45	43
	Republican Party	78	81
	Vacancy	1	0
Total		124	124

General election

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Primary runoff election

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Primary election
The candidate list below is based on candidate filing lists provided by the South Carolina Election Commission. (i) denotes an incumbent. 
Note: Primaries were canceled if fewer than two candidates filed to run per party. Candidates in canceled races automatically advanced to the general election.

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Incumbents who were not re-elected

See also: Annual State Legislative Competitiveness Report: Vol. 10, 2020

Incumbents defeated in the general election

Two incumbents lost in the Nov. 3 general election. Those incumbents were:

Name	Party	Office
Mandy Powers Norrell	Democratic	House District 44
Laurie Funderburk	Democratic	House District 52

Incumbents defeated in primary elections

Two incumbents lost in the June 9 primaries, the lowest such number since 2014. Those incumbents were:

Name	Party	Office
Jimmy Bales	Democratic	House District 80
Lawrence Kit Spires	Republican	House District 96

Retiring incumbents

There were 12 open seats where the incumbent legislator did not file for re-election in 2020. Those incumbents were:

Name	Party	Office
Gary Clary	Republican	House District 3
Eddie Tallon	Republican	House District 33
Mike Forrester	Republican	House District 34
Robert L. Ridgeway III	Democratic	House District 64
McLain Toole	Republican	House District 88
Con Chellis	Republican	House District 94
Nancy Mace	Republican	House District 99
Alan Clemmons	Republican	House District 107
David Mack	Democratic	House District 109
Mike Sottile	Republican	House District 112
Peter McCoy	Republican	House District 115
Robert Brown	Democratic	House District 116

The 12 seats left open in 2020 represented an increase from the eight open in 2018. Overall, the 2020 numbers were roughly average relative to the five preceding election cycles. The table below shows the number of open seats in each election held between 2010 and 2020.

Open Seats in South Carolina House of Representatives elections: 2010 - 2020
Year	Total seats	Open seats	Seats with incumbents running for re-election
2020	124	12 (10%)	112 (90%)
2018	124	8 (6%)	116 (94%)
2016	124	14 (11%)	110 (89%)
2014	124	11 (9%)	113 (91%)
2012	124	15 (12%)	109 (88%)
2010	124	11 (9%)	113 (91%)

Process to become a candidate

See also: Ballot access requirements for political candidates in South Carolina

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

"Statement of Intention of Candidacy/Party Pledge Form," 2013

Each non-presidential candidate seeking a political party's nomination to run in a general or special election must file a "Statement of Intention of Candidacy/Party Pledge Form" (SICPP) between noon on March 16 and noon on March 30. A candidate for federal office or statewide office (i.e., governor or secretary of state) must file with the South Carolina State Election Commission. A candidate for the state legislature, a countywide office, or a less-than-countywide office must file with the county election commission in the candidate's county of residence. The candidate must also file a statement of economic interests with the South Carolina State Ethics Commission. A candidate who files as a Democrat or Republican must pay a filing fee.

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.

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.

Petition signature requirements for independent candidates in South Carolina
Office sought	Number of signatures needed
Governor and other statewide offices	5 percent of the qualified registered voters in the state
State legislators	5 percent of the qualified registered voters in the district or area to be represented

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.

2020 ballot access requirements

The table below details filing requirements for South Carolina House of Representatives candidates in the 2020 election cycle.

Filing requirements for state legislative candidates, 2020
Chamber name	Party	Signatures required	Filing fee	Filing deadline	Source
South Carolina House of Representatives	Qualified party	N/A	$208.00	3/30/2020	Source
South Carolina House of Representatives	Unaffiliated	5% of active, registered voters in the district	N/A	8/17/2020	Source

Qualifications

See also: State legislature candidate requirements by state

To be eligible to serve in the South Carolina House of Representatives, a candidate must be:

• A U.S. citizen at the time of filing
• 21 years old at the filing deadline time
• A resident of the district at the filing deadline time

Salaries and per diem

See also: Comparison of state legislative salaries

State legislative salaries, 2024
Salary	Per diem
$10,400/year	$231/day

When sworn in

See also: When state legislators assume office after a general election

South Carolina legislators assume office the Monday after the election.

South Carolina political history

Trifectas

A state government trifecta is a term that describes single-party government, when one political party holds the governor's office and has majorities in both chambers of the legislature in a state government.

South Carolina Party Control: 1992-2025
No Democratic trifectas  •  Twenty-three years of Republican trifectas
Scroll left and right on the table below to view more years.

Year	92	93	94	95	96	97	98	99	00	01	02	03	04	05	06	07	08	09	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	22	23	24	25
Governor	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	D	D	D	D	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R
Senate	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R
House	D	D	D	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R

Presidential politics in South Carolina

2016 Presidential election results

U.S. presidential election, South Carolina, 2016
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes	Electoral votes
	Democratic	Hillary Clinton/Tim Kaine	40.7%	855,373	0
	Republican	Donald Trump/Mike Pence	54.9%	1,155,389	9
	Libertarian	Gary Johnson/Bill Weld	2.3%	49,204	0
	Green	Jill Stein/Ajamu Baraka	0.6%	13,034	0
	Constitution	Darrell Castle/Scott Bradley	0.3%	5,765	0
	Independence	Evan McMullin/Nathan Johnson	1%	21,016	0
	American	Peter Skewes/Michael Lacy	0.2%	3,246	0
Total Votes				2,103,027	9
Election results via: South Carolina Election Commission

Voter information

How the primary works

A primary election is an election in which registered voters select a candidate that they believe should be a political party's candidate for elected office to run in the general election. They are also used to choose convention delegates and party leaders. Primaries are state-level and local-level elections that take place prior to a general election. South Carolina utilizes an open primary system, in which registered voters do not have to be members of a party to vote in that party's primary. Voters must take an oath affirming that they have not voted in another party's primary.

For information about which offices are nominated via primary election, see this article.

Poll times

In South Carolina, all polls are open from 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. Eastern Time. An individual who is in line at the time polls close must be allowed to vote.

Registration requirements

Check your voter registration status here.

To register to vote in South Carolina, one must be a citizen of the United States, a resident of the county and precinct where he or she is registering, and at least 18 years old by Election Day. People who have been declared mentally incompetent by court order, are imprisoned, or are still serving a sentence for a felony conviction are ineligible to register to vote. The deadline for registration is 30 days before the election. Prospective voters may register using one of the following methods:

• Online,
• In person at the county board of elections or one of the following locations:
  • Armed Forces Recruiting Stations
  • Commission for the Blind
  • Department of Alcohol and Other Drug Abuse Services
  • Department of Disabilities and Special Needs
  • Department of Health and Environmental Control
  • Department of Health and Human Services
  • Department of Mental Health
  • Department of Motor Vehicles
  • Department of Social Services
  • Protection and Advocacy for People with Disabilities
  • Vocational Rehabilitation Department
• Returning a voter registration form by email, fax, or mail to the county board of voter registration. Note that mailed applications must be postmarked by at least 30 days before the election.

Automatic registration

South Carolina does not practice automatic voter registration.

Online registration

See also: Online voter registration

South Carolina has implemented an online voter registration system. Residents can register to vote by visiting this website.

Same-day registration

South Carolina does not allow same-day voter registration.

Residency requirements

Prospective voters must be residents of the county and precinct in which they are registering to vote.

Verification of citizenship

See also: Laws permitting noncitizens to vote in the United States

South Carolina does not require proof of citizenship for voter registration. An individual applying to register to vote must attest that they are a U.S. citizen under penalty of perjury.

All 49 states with voter registration systems require applicants to declare that they are U.S. citizens in order to register to vote in state and federal elections, under penalty of perjury or other punishment. As of November 2024, five states — Alabama, Arizona, Georgia, Kansas, and New Hampshire — had passed laws requiring verification of citizenship at the time of voter registration. However, only two of those states' laws were in effect, in Arizona and New Hampshire. In three states — California, Maryland, and Vermont — at least one local jurisdiction allowed noncitizens to vote in some local elections as of November 2024. Noncitizens registering to vote in those elections must complete a voter registration application provided by the local jurisdiction and are not eligible to register as state or federal voters.

Verifying your registration

The South Carolina Election Commission allows residents to check their voter registration status online by visiting the MyscVOTES website.

Voter ID requirements

South Carolina requires voters to present photo identification while voting.

Voters can present the following forms of identification:

• SC Driver’s License
• SC Department of Motor Vehicles ID Card
  • includes SC Concealed Weapons Permit
• SC Voter Registration Card with Photo
• U.S. Passport
• Federal Military ID
  • includes all Department of Defense Photo IDs and the Department of Veterans Affairs Benefits Card

Voters can obtain a free photo ID from a local DMV office or a county elections office.

Early voting

South Carolina permits early voting. Learn more by visiting this website.

Early voting permits citizens to cast ballots in person at a polling place prior to an election. In states that permit no-excuse early voting, a voter does not have to provide an excuse for being unable to vote on Election Day. States that allow voters to cast no-excuse absentee/mail-in ballots in person are counted as no-excuse early voting states.

As of February 2024, 47 states and the District of Columbia permitted no-excuse early voting.

Absentee voting

According to the South Carolina Election Commission's website, only the following types of voters are eligible to vote absentee/by mail:

“

Persons with employment obligations which prevent them from voting during early voting hours for the duration of the early voting period, and during the hours the polls are open on election day. Persons attending a sick or physically disabled person which prevents them from voting during early voting hours for the duration of the early voting period, and during the hours the polls are open on election day. Persons confined to a jail or pretrial facility pending disposition of arrest or trial which prevents them from voting during early voting hours for the duration of the early voting period, and during the hours the polls are open on election day. Persons who will be absent from their county of residence during early voting hours for the duration of the early voting period, and during the hours the polls are open on election day. Persons with physical disabilities. Persons sixty-five years of age or older. Members of the Armed Forces and Merchant Marines of the United States, their spouses, and dependents residing with them (Learn more about procedures related to Military and Overseas Citizens). Persons admitted to a hospital as an emergency patient on the day of the election or within a four-day period before the election.

”

To vote absentee, voters must first request an application for the absentee ballot. Application requests can be made in person, by phone, or by mail. The absentee ballot application must then be completed and returned to the voter's county voter registration office by 5:00 p.m. at least 11 days before Election Day. Once completed, the ballot must be received by the county voter registration office by 7 p.m. on Election Day. According to the South Carolina Election Commission's website, only the following types of voters are eligible to vote absentee/by mail:

“

Persons with employment obligations which prevent them from voting during early voting hours for the duration of the early voting period, and during the hours the polls are open on election day. Persons attending a sick or physically disabled person which prevents them from voting during early voting hours for the duration of the early voting period, and during the hours the polls are open on election day. Persons confined to a jail or pretrial facility pending disposition of arrest or trial which prevents them from voting during early voting hours for the duration of the early voting period, and during the hours the polls are open on election day. Persons who will be absent from their county of residence during early voting hours for the duration of the early voting period, and during the hours the polls are open on election day. Persons with physical disabilities. Persons sixty-five years of age or older. Members of the Armed Forces and Merchant Marines of the United States, their spouses, and dependents residing with them (Learn more about procedures related to Military and Overseas Citizens). Persons admitted to a hospital as an emergency patient on the day of the election or within a four-day period before the election.

”

To vote absentee, voters must first request an application for the absentee ballot. Application requests can be made in person, by phone, or by mail. The absentee ballot application must then be completed and returned to the voter's county voter registration office by 5:00 p.m. at least 11 days before Election Day. Once completed, the ballot must be received by the county voter registration office by 7 p.m. on Election Day.

See also

• South Carolina House of Representatives
• South Carolina State Legislature
• State legislative elections, 2020

External links

Suggest a link

• South Carolina State Legislature

Footnotes

[show]

Current members of the South Carolina House of Representatives

Leadership

Speaker of the House:G. Murrell Smith

Majority Leader:Davey Hiott

Minority Leader:James Rutherford

Representatives

District 1

Bill Whitmire (R)

District 2

Adam Duncan (R)

District 3

Phillip Bowers (R)

District 4

Davey Hiott (R)

District 5

Neal Collins (R)

District 6

April Cromer (R)

District 7

Lee Gilreath (R)

District 8

Don Chapman (R)

District 9

Blake Sanders (R)

District 10

Thomas Beach (R)

District 11

Craig Gagnon (R)

District 12

Daniel Gibson (R)

District 13

John McCravy (R)

District 14

Luke Rankin (R)

District 15

JA Moore (D)

District 16

Mark Willis (R)

District 17

Mike Burns (R)

District 18

Alan Morgan (R)

District 19

Patrick Haddon (R)

District 20

Stephen Frank (R)

District 21

Bobby Cox (R)

District 22

Paul Wickensimer (R)

District 23

Chandra Dillard (D)

District 24

Bruce Bannister (R)

District 25

Wendell Jones (D)

District 26

David Martin (R)

District 27

David Vaughan (R)

District 28

Chris Huff (R)

District 29

Dennis Moss (R)

District 30

Brian Lawson (R)

District 31

Rosalyn Myers (D)

District 32

Scott Montgomery (R)

District 33

Travis Moore (R)

District 34

Sarita Edgerton (R)

District 35

Bill Chumley (R)

District 36

Robert Harris (R)

District 37

Steven Long (R)

District 38

Josiah Magnuson (R)

District 39

Cal Forrest (R)

District 40

Joe White (R)

District 41

Annie McDaniel (D)

District 42

Doug Gilliam (R)

District 43

Randy Ligon (R)

District 44

Mike Neese (R)

District 45

Brandon Newton (R)

District 46

Heath Sessions (R)

District 47

Tommy Pope (R)

District 48

Brandon Guffey (R)

District 49

John King (D)

District 50

Will Wheeler (D)

District 51

J. Weeks (D)

District 52

Jermaine Johnson (D)

District 53

Richie Yow (R)

District 54

Jason Luck (D)

District 55

Jackie Hayes (D)

District 56

Tim McGinnis (R)

District 57

Lucas Atkinson (D)

District 58

Jeff Johnson (R)

District 59

Terry Alexander (D)

District 60

Phillip Lowe (R)

District 61

Carla Schuessler (R)

District 62

Robert Williams (D)

District 63

Jay Jordan (R)

District 64

Fawn Pedalino (R)

District 65

Cody Mitchell (R)

District 66

Jackie Terribile (R)

District 67

G. Murrell Smith (R)

District 68

Heather Crawford (R)

District 69

Chris Wooten (R)

District 70

Robert Reese (D)

District 71

Nathan Ballentine (R)

District 72

Seth Rose (D)

District 73

Christopher Hart (D)

District 74

James Rutherford (D)

District 75

Heather Bauer (D)

District 76

Leon Howard (D)

District 77

Kambrell Garvin (D)

District 78

Beth Bernstein (D)

District 79

Hamilton Grant (D)

District 80

Kathy Landing (R)

District 81

Charles Hartz (R)

District 82

William Clyburn (D)

District 83

Bill Hixon (R)

District 84

Melissa Oremus (R)

District 85

Jay Kilmartin (R)

District 86

Bill Taylor (R)

District 87

Paula Calhoon (R)

District 88

RJ May (R)

District 89

Micah Caskey (R)

District 90

Justin Bamberg (D)

District 91

Lonnie Hosey (D)

District 92

Brandon Cox (R)

District 93

Jerry Govan (D)

District 94

Gil Gatch (R)

District 95

Gilda Cobb-Hunter (D)

District 96

D. McCabe (R)

District 97

Robby Robbins (R)

District 98

Chris Murphy (R)

District 99

Mark Smith (R)

District 100

Sylleste Davis (R)

District 101

Roger Kirby (D)

District 102

Harriet Holman (R)

District 103

Carl Anderson (D)

District 104

William Bailey (R)

District 105

Kevin Hardee (R)

District 106

Val Guest (R)

District 107

Case Brittain (R)

District 108

Lee Hewitt (R)

District 109

Tiffany Spann-Wilder (D)

District 110

Tom Hartnett (R)

District 111

Wendell Gilliard (D)

District 112

Joe Bustos (R)

District 113

Vacant

District 114

Gary Brewer (R)

District 115

Spencer Wetmore (D)

District 116

James Teeple (R)

District 117

Jordan Pace (R)

District 118

Bill Herbkersman (R)

District 119

Leonidas Stavrinakis (D)

District 120

Weston Newton (R)

District 121

Michael Rivers (D)

District 122

Bill Hager (R)

District 123

Jeff Bradley (R)

District 124

Shannon Erickson (R)

Republican Party (88)

Democratic Party (35)

Vacancies (1)