Illegal Candidates in SC Senate District 42?

By Michael Carmany

The filing for SC Senate District 42 in the Charleston area has 6 of the 9 candidates in violation not only of the law that got over 200 candidates removed from the ballot in May of 2012, but also in violation of the amendments to the law passed June 2013.

The Republican and Democratic parties received the filings and certified candidates in violation of S.C. Election Law.

Apparently the South Carolina Ethics reform known as Equal Access to the ballot or ACT 61 was just a Photo Op for the Governor and propaganda for the Legislature. Ethics in government continue to be just a campaign issue.

The law requires that a Statement of Economic Interest be filed for the previous year at the same time the Statement of Intention of Candidacy is filed. Only 3 of the 9 candidates fulfilled this requirement.

Alex Thornton, Libertarian, Rodney Travis, Libertarian and Margaret Rush, Democratic have a correct SEI on file, the other candidates do not.

The primary election for the Senate District 42 seat is August 13, 2013 with the general election October 1, 2013.

I have also checked the Special Election for SC House District 93. There are no candidates legally filed.

So much for Ethics reform in South Carolina.

In the SC Supreme Court decision Appellate Case No. 2012-211366 Opinion No. 27120 Heard May 1, 2012 – Filed May 2, 2012, candidates that failed to correctly file SEI for the 2012 General Election were removed from the ballot.

As Vice-Chairman of the South Carolina Libertarian Party I would like to know why the South Carolina Attorney General has not directed the Election Commission to remove improperly filed candidates from this election per the decision of the South Carolina Supreme Court.

(Editor’s Note: The writer is vice chairman of the S.C. Libertarian Party. The statements and opinions in the article are solely his and do not reflect the opinion of Grand Strand Daily or SC Hotline.)