COLOMBIA – Some county election officials are warning of a rapidly evolving bill that would give the state electoral agency more power to standardize the process at the ballot box, saying it would jeopardize its flexibility to take its own measures to meet its needs specific information.
In a letter to lawmakers, Charleston County Electoral Council President Christie Companion Varnado wrote that they were “deeply concerned about the implications” that the proposal would have on them.
“Although uniformity in the electoral process is desirable in many respects, due to differences between counties, one size does not always fit all,” wrote Varnado.
SC Mayor Jay Lucas, R-Hartsville, proposed the measure in this session, citing concerns about how counties were checking signatures on missing ballots.
In participating in a series of lawsuits before the 2020 elections, Lucas found that many counties had different signature verification processes and some had no verification processes at all.
“I think a vote in Darlington (or) a vote in Lancaster should be the same as a vote in Greenwood or a vote in Abbeville,” he said during a February subcommittee hearing. “Some counties can’t do things one way and some counties differently. I think there is a constitutional flaw, a constitutional problem in that.”
The bill, H.3444, would empower the State Electoral Commission to “oversee and standardize the performance, conduct and practices” of county electoral commissions and “ensure compliance with these boards with applicable state or federal law or policies and State Electoral Commission procedures and regulations. “
But Varndado said the legislation would allow the state agency “to implement policies and procedures with absolute authority, without having a complete understanding of the different nature and needs of each location”.
She also noted that the state agency already oversees the training of election officials, and members of the county council are already appointed by the governor on the recommendation of the county legislative delegation, which she said “allows for sufficient oversight”.
Lucas declined to comment on the letter because it was addressed to the Charleston delegation.
In addition to giving more powers to the State Electoral Commission, Lucas’ proposal would also change the composition of the body, adding four new members appointed by the Legislature.
The initial proposal would have caused the state commission to divide 4-4 by party equally, but it was later changed to give Republicans a 6-3 lead, similar to their current 4-1 lead.
The Charleston council has an influential ally in one of its delegation’s lawmakers. State Senator Chip Campsen, R-Charleston, said he agreed with their concerns and proposed his own bill, S.499, which would make much less significant changes for the Electoral Commission.
The Campsen bill would allow the Senate to confirm the governor’s appointments to the Electoral Commission, giving the legislature a role in the process, but would not substantially change the commission’s authority over the counties.
“I think it is important to maintain final authority at the county level,” said Campsen. “Some do it better than others, but I think having these local officials conducting their elections means that they know what their counties need better than anyone in the entire state.”
Other county election officials in Lowcountry said they shared the concerns raised by Charleston.
Adam Hammons, the Berkeley County Electoral Officer, said that local control means that the council “can react quickly and ensure that we are serving voters in our county in the best possible way for our county.”
“What works for Charleston doesn’t necessarily work for Berkeley or Dorchester, and that doesn’t work for a really small county like McCormick or Allendale,” said Hammons. “Each county is so diverse in its size and scope of what it needs to do that a single model, administered by an entity, can cause problems.”
Lucas’s project has already gone through the House committee process and can be voted on in this House soon. But Campsen said he expects the Senate to view the issue with more skepticism and hopes that they will be more receptive to his less drastic reforms.
Follow Jamie Lovegrove on Twitter @jslovegrove.