Government and politics of South Carolina facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
South Carolina Government

Seal of South Carolina
Formation	1789; 236 years ago (1789)
Founding document	South Carolina Constitution
Jurisdiction	State of South Carolina
Legislative branch
Legislature	General Assembly
Meeting place	State House
Executive branch
Leader	Governor
Appointer	Elected At Large
Headquarters	State House
Judicial branch
Court	Supreme Court
Seat	Columbia, SC

The government of South Carolina is how the state of South Carolina is run. It has three branches, or parts, that work together: the executive, the legislative, and the judicial. The state's rules are written in the South Carolina Constitution.

South Carolina is one of the 50 states in the United States. It was the eighth state to join the Union. The government is a representative democracy, which means citizens vote for people to represent them and make laws.

Politically, South Carolina is known for being a conservative state, where the Republican Party is very strong. For a long time, from the 1800s until the mid-1900s, the Democratic Party was more popular. This changed around the 1960s.

Since 1964, South Carolina has almost always voted for the Republican candidate for president. The only exception was in 1976, when they voted for Jimmy Carter, a Democrat from the South. Today, the Republican Party holds most of the major political offices in the state.

The South Carolina State House is where the state government meets.

Executive Branch: Leading the State

The executive branch is responsible for carrying out the state's laws. It's led by the governor.

Governor and Lieutenant Governor

The Governor of South Carolina is the leader of the state, much like the president is for the whole country. The governor is elected for a four-year term and can serve two terms in a row. The current governor is Henry McMaster, a member of the Republican Party.

The Lieutenant Governor is the second-in-command. If the governor can't do their job, the lieutenant governor takes over. Since 2018, the governor and lieutenant governor are elected together on the same team.

Elected Cabinet Members

In South Carolina, voters elect eight leaders for the executive branch, not just the governor. This is different from many states where the governor appoints most of these officials. This group of elected leaders is often called the cabinet.

Here are the main elected officials in South Carolina's executive branch:

South Carolina Executive Cabinet

Office	Office Holder		Party		Since	Method of selection	Term
Governor of South Carolina		Henry McMaster		Republican	January 24, 2017	Elected by voters	4 years, can be re-elected once
Lieutenant Governor of South Carolina		Pamela Evette		Republican	January 9, 2019	Elected with the governor	4 years, no limit
Attorney General of South Carolina		Alan Wilson		Republican	January 12, 2011	Elected by voters	4 years, no limit
Commissioner of Agriculture		Hugh Weathers		Republican	September 14, 2004	Elected by voters	4 years, no limit
Comptroller General		Brian J. Gaines		Democratic	May 12, 2023	Elected by voters	4 years, no limit
Secretary of State		Mark Hammond		Republican	January 15, 2003	Elected by voters	4 years, no limit
Treasurer		Curtis Loftis		Republican	January 12, 2011	Elected by voters	4 years, no limit
South Carolina Superintendent of Education		Ellen Weaver		Republican	January 11, 2023	Elected by voters	4 years, no limit

Legislative Branch: Making the Laws

The South Carolina General Assembly is the state's legislature, which means it's the part of government that makes laws. It has two parts, or chambers, making it bicameral.

• The South Carolina House of Representatives has 124 members who serve two-year terms.
• The South Carolina Senate has 46 members who serve four-year terms.

Both chambers meet at the South Carolina State House in Columbia. The Republican Party currently has the most members in both the House and the Senate.

In the past, each county had a set number of representatives, which gave rural areas with fewer people a lot of power. A court case called Reynolds v. Sims changed this. Now, districts are based on population, so each person's vote has about the same weight.

Judicial Branch: The Court System

The judicial branch is made up of the state's courts. The courts interpret the laws and make sure they are applied fairly.

• Family Court: This court handles cases about family matters, like marriage and adoption. It also deals with most cases involving young people under seventeen.

• Circuit Court: This is the main trial court in South Carolina. It has two parts: one for civil cases (disputes between people) and one for criminal cases. The state is divided into 16 judicial circuits, and judges are elected by the General Assembly for six-year terms.

• Court of Appeals: If someone believes a mistake was made in a trial, they can appeal to this court. The Court of Appeals reviews decisions from the Circuit and Family Courts. It has a chief judge and eight other judges.

• Supreme Court: The South Carolina Supreme Court is the highest court in the state. It has the final say on legal questions. It is made up of a Chief Justice and four other justices, who are elected to ten-year terms.

The South Carolina Constitution

A constitution is a rulebook for a government. South Carolina has had seven different constitutions since it became a state.

• 1776: The first constitution.
• 1790: Gave more power to areas away from the coast.
• 1868: This was the only constitution approved by a popular vote. It created a public school system and gave all men the right to vote, no matter their race.
• 1895: This is the constitution the state still uses today, but it has been changed many times. When it was first written, it made it very difficult for African Americans to vote by requiring poll taxes and literacy tests. These rules were removed after the U.S. Voting Rights Act of 1965 was passed.

Because the 1895 constitution is so old and has hundreds of amendments (changes), some people think South Carolina should write a new one.

Local Government

Local governments run cities, towns, and counties. In South Carolina, these governments have historically had less power than the state government.

Each of South Carolina's 46 counties has its own elected council. This system was set up by the Home Rule Act of 1975, which gave counties more power to handle their own issues. However, the state legislature still has a lot of say in local matters.

Cities and towns are run by municipal governments. State law makes it difficult for cities to grow their borders through annexation (adding new land), which is why many cities in South Carolina are smaller than those in nearby states.

South Carolina in the U.S. Government

South Carolina, like all states, elects people to represent it in the federal government in Washington, D.C.

U.S. Senate

The state has two senators in the United States Senate.

Portrait	Senator	Party	Since
	Lindsey Graham	Republican	January 3, 2003
	Tim Scott	Republican	January 2, 2013

U.S. House of Representatives

South Carolina has seven representatives in the United States House of Representatives. Each one represents a different district in the state.

Portrait	District	Representative	Party	Since
	District 1	Nancy Mace	Republican	January 3, 2021
	District 2	Joe Wilson	Republican	December 18, 2001
	District 3	Sheri Biggs	Republican	January 3, 2025
	District 4	William Timmons	Republican	January 3, 2019
	District 5	Ralph Norman	Republican	June 26, 2017
	District 6	Jim Clyburn	Democratic	January 3, 1993
	District 7	Russell Fry	Republican	January 3, 2023

State Finances and Taxes

The state government collects money through taxes to pay for public services like schools, roads, and police.

Taxes

• Income Tax: People pay a tax based on how much money they earn.
• Sales Tax: There is a 6% state sales tax on most things you buy. The money from this tax is used only for education. Counties and cities can add their own sales taxes, which can make the total tax rate higher in some places.
• Property Tax: People who own property, like a house or land, pay a tax on it each year. This money is collected by local governments and is mostly used to fund public schools.