South Carolina government and politics cover the three different branches of government, as well as the state constitution, law enforcement agencies, federal representation, state finances, and state taxes. South Carolina is a state in the United States and was the eighth admitted to the Union. The state of South Carolina was preceded by the Crown Colony of South Carolina, a constitutional monarchy overthrown during the American Revolution. Presently, South Carolina's government is formed as a representative democracy.
South Carolina is a largely conservative, Republican state. Since the Declaration of Independence, South Carolina's politics have been controlled by three main parties: the Democratic-Republican Party in the early 1800s, the Democratic Party through most of the 19th and 20th centuries, and the Republican Party in the late 20th and early 21st centuries.
Like most Southern states, South Carolina consistently voted Democratic in the 19th century and much of the 20th century as a part of the Solid South. The Democratic block was largely maintained by the disenfranchisement of most black voters from 1865 to the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. The Republican Party became competitive in the 1960 presidential election when Richard Nixon lost the state to John F. Kennedy by just two percentage points. In 1964, Barry Goldwater became the first Republican to win the state since Reconstruction.
Since the election of 1964, South Carolina has voted for the Republican party in every presidential election, with the exception of 1976 when Jimmy Carter, a southern Democrat, was elected president. However, in state-wide and local elections, conservative Democrats still won many races until the end of the 20th century. The last conservative Democratic governor to be elected in South Carolina was Jim Hodges in 1998, and the last conservative Democratic U.S. Senator to serve was Fritz Hollings until 2005. Until the 1990s, South Carolina had a majority Democratic representation in both the U.S. House of Representatives and the General Assembly of South Carolina. While South Carolina has shifted between the Democratic and Republican parties, politics in South Carolina has consistently been conservative. As of 2023, the Republican Party controls eight of nine state executive offices, both U.S. Senate seats, six of seven seats in the U.S. House of Representatives, and a majority in the South Carolina General Assembly.
Executive branch
Governor and lieutenant governor
The Governor of South Carolina is the chief executive of the state. The governor is elected to a four-year term and may serve up to two consecutive terms. The current governor is Republican Henry McMaster who succeeded to the office of Governor of South Carolina when Governor Nikki Haley resigned to become the United States Ambassador to the United Nations. The Lieutenant Governor is the second-in-command of the state's executive branch. The Lt. Governor assumes the office if the Governor is unable to fulfill his or her duties. Prior to the 2018 gubernatorial election, Governors and Lieutenant Governors were elected on separate tickets. But for the 2018 election and beyond, the governor and lieutenant governor run on the same ticket.
Elected Cabinet
The South Carolina Constitution provides for the separate election of eight executive officers, making a limited cabinet. This is a large number of elective offices compared to most states, which generally give the governor the executive power to appoint members of the cabinet.
+ South Carolina Executive CabinetPortfolioOffice Holder PartySince Method of selectionTermGovernor of South CarolinaHenry McMaster RepublicanJanuary 24, 2017Elected at-large4 years, renewable once consecutivelyLieutenant Governor of South CarolinaPamela Evette RepublicanJanuary 9, 2019Elected at-large in tandem with the governor4 years, no limitAttorney General of South CarolinaAlan Wilson RepublicanJanuary 12, 2011Elected at-large4 years, no limitCommissioner of AgricultureHugh Weathers RepublicanSeptember 14, 2004Elected at-large4 years, no limitComptroller GeneralBrian J. Gaines DemocraticMay 12, 2023Elected at-large4 years, no limitSecretary of StateMark Hammond RepublicanJanuary 15, 2003Elected at-large4 years, no limitTreasurerCurtis Loftis RepublicanJanuary 12, 2011Elected at-large4 years, no limitSouth Carolina Superintendent of EducationEllen Weaver RepublicanJanuary 11, 2023Elected at-large4 years, no limit
Each officer is elected at the same time as the governor. The separately elected positions allow for the possibility of multiple parties to be represented in the executive branch. The Governor's Cabinet also contains several appointed positions. In most cases, persons who fill cabinet-level positions are recommended by the governor and appointed by the Senate.
Legislative branch
The South Carolina General Assembly is the state legislature. It is bicameral, consisting of a 124-member South Carolina House of Representatives and a 46-member South Carolina Senate. Representatives serve two-year terms and Senators serve four-year terms. The two houses meet in the South Carolina State House. Each house is currently controlled by the Republican Party.
Originally, each county elected one senator and at least one representative. The vast differences between rural and urban counties gave rural areas an outsized influence over state government. This state of affairs ended with the federal case of Reynolds v. Sims, which mandated that state legislative districts be drawn based on population, and that that counties’ representation must be roughly equal.
Historic Party Control Below is a chart of party control in the South Carolina General Assembly since 1868.
Judicial branch The Family Court deals with all matters of domestic and family relationships, as well as generally maintaining exclusive jurisdiction over cases involving minors under the age of seventeen, excepting traffic and game law violations. Some criminal charges may come under Circuit Court jurisdiction.
The South Carolina Circuit Court is the trial court of general jurisdiction court for South Carolina. It consists of a civil division (the Court of Common Pleas) and a criminal division. (the Court of General Sessions). It is also a superior court, having limited appellate jurisdiction over appeals from the lower Probate Court, Magistrate's Court, and Municipal Court, and appeals from the Administrative Law Judge Division, which hears matters relating to state administrative and regulatory agencies. South Carolina's 46 counties are divided into 16 judicial circuits, and there are currently 46 judges. Circuit court judges are elected by the General Assembly to six-year terms.
The South Carolina Court of Appeals is the state intermediate appellate court. It hears all Circuit Court and Family Court appeals, excepting appeals that are within the seven classes of exclusive Supreme Court jurisdiction. The Court of Appeals is selected by the General Assembly to long six-year terms. The court comprises a chief judge, and eight associate judges, and may hear cases as the whole court, or as three panels with three judges each. The court may preside in any county.
The South Carolina Supreme Court is the state supreme court. The Chief Justice and four Associate Justices are elected to staggered ten-year terms. There are no limits on the number of terms a justice may serve, but there is a mandatory retirement age of 72. The overwhelming majority of vacancies on the Court occur when Justices reach this age, not through the refusal of the General Assembly to elect a sitting Justice to another term.
Law South Carolina Constitution
South Carolina has had seven constitutions:
1776: SC's first constitution 1778: Disestablished the Anglican Church, created a popularly elected upper house 1790: Expanded upcountry representation, further established General Assembly control over all aspects of government 1861: Confederate constitution 1865: Required to be readmitted to the Union, abolished property owning qualifications to vote, created popularly elected governor and granted veto power 1868: Only constitution to be ratified by popular vote, provided for public education, abolished property ownership as a qualification for office holding, created counties with home rule, abolished race as limit on male suffrage 1895: Effectively disenfranchised black voters, requiring poll taxes, and literacy tests, to register to vote. In 1900 African Americans were 58% of the state population.Historical Census Browser, 1900 US Census, University of Virginia (). Retrieved March 15, 2008. This exclusion of blacks from the political system was largely enforced until after passage of the Voting Rights Act of 1965, which authorized federal oversight and enforcement of voter registration and elections to ensure citizens could exercise their constitutional rights.
Since 1895, many residents have called for a new Constitution, one that is not based on the politics of a post–Civil War population. Governor Mark Sanford called for constitutional reform in his 2008 State of the State speech. Several hundred amendments have been made to the 1895 Constitution (in 1966 there were 330 amendments). Amendments have been created to comply with federal acts, and for many other issues. The volume of amendments makes South Carolina's constitution one of the longest in the nation."Constitutions", The South Carolina Encyclopedia, Walter Edgar, University of South Carolina Press
Law enforcement agencies South Carolina Department of Public Safety South Carolina Highway Patrol Division South Carolina State Transport Police Division South Carolina Bureau of Protective Services South Carolina Criminal Justice Academy South Carolina Department of Corrections SC Department of Corrections Training Academy SC Department of Corrections Tactical Teams (Rapid Response Team-S.O.R.T.-Sitcon) SC Department of Juvenile Justice South Carolina Department of Probation, Parole and Pardon Services South Carolina State Law Enforcement Division (SLED) Homeland Security South Carolina Department of Natural Resources South Carolina Climatology Department South Carolina Department of Alcohol and Other Drug Abuse Services South Carolina Department of Mental Health
Local government
Historically, local governments in South Carolina have been fairly weak. For the most part, until the 1830s, towns were controlled by districts. According to historian Tom Downey, "the movement for incorporation initiated with a desire to implant order on unruly elements...which growing villages seemed to attract all too frequently." The initial charters gave towns regulatory power which they used to "appoint constables, levy fines, and enact ordinances." But, town councils were largely unable to pay their expenses with funds raised by just their fine revenue. In the late 1830s, the General Assembly started allowing select towns to tax property within their corporate limits.