//Run for office · South Carolina

How to run for local office in South Carolina

South Carolina sells its voter file for $25 to $2,500 depending on size, but only to registered South Carolina voters, and every candidate down to town council files finance reports with the State Ethics Commission.

Facts checked against official sources · September 9, 2026

South Carolina local elections split along a clear line. County council, sheriff and the other county offices are partisan: you file a statement of intention of candidacy with the county board of voter registration and elections between noon March 16 and noon March 30 of the even year and run in the June party primary. Municipal offices and most school boards are nonpartisan: you file a statement of candidacy or a petition with the municipal election commission or county board on a schedule the city or district sets by ordinance, generally 60 to 75 days before the election.

Whatever office you seek, campaign finance is centralized. The State Ethics Commission is the supervisory office for every candidate except legislators, you file a statement of economic interests before filing closes, and once you raise or spend $500 you file quarterly and pre-election disclosure reports online. Voting is in person: two weeks of no-excuse early voting plus excuse-only absentee-by-mail, and no same-day registration.

Election authority: South Carolina State Election Commission
Voter file: Restricted — limited requesters or uses · By record count, for electronic files (SEC fee schedule effective March 1, 2022): 1,000 to 5,000 records $25; 5,001 to 50,000 records $25 plus $1 per 200 records; 50,001 to 75,000 records $275; 75,001 and up $275 plus $75 per additional 25,000 records, capped at **$2,500 for the statewide file**. Flat prices: State House district $160, State Senate district $300, U.S. House district $1,200. Mailing labels and printed reports cost more.
Campaign finance: State Ethics Commission electronic filing (mandatory for every candidate) (South Carolina State Ethics Commission)
How voters vote: In person, with excuse-required absentee voting
Registration deadline: 30 days before the election; the books close on the 30th day and stay closed through the election and any runoff (7-5-150). Mail applications must be postmarked by the deadline, and online applications through the SEC site must be received 30 days out (7-5-185).
Local offices: County offices are partisan and nominated in the June primary. Municipal elections are nonpartisan in most cities: each municipality adopts by ordinance the plurality, election-and-runoff, or primary-and-general nonpartisan method (5-15-60), although a city may instead nominate by party primary, convention or petition (5-15-63). School board seats are nonpartisan under their local acts.

Who runs elections in South Carolina

South Carolina State Election Commission The State Election Commission (SEC) maintains the statewide voter registration system, sells voter registration lists, certifies candidates for statewide and multi-county offices, publishes the election calendar with statutory citations, and trains and certifies county and municipal election officials. County and municipal candidates file their candidacy papers with the county board or municipal election commission, not the SEC, and file campaign disclosures with the State Ethics Commission, so your direct contact with the SEC is mostly buying data and reading its candidate toolkit.

Each of the 46 counties has a county board of voter registration and elections that registers voters, runs early-voting centers and election-day precincts, issues absentee ballots, accepts partisan candidate filings for countywide and less-than-countywide offices (S.C. Code 7-11-15(A)(3)), and certifies petitions for non-municipal offices (7-11-70). Municipal elections are conducted by a three-member municipal election commission appointed by council (5-15-90) unless the city has transferred that duty to the county board by ordinance (5-15-145), which many have. School district trustees are elected by the county board under each district's local act.

Getting the South Carolina voter file

The voter file is the list of every registered voter, with the fields a campaign needs to target: address, party where the state records it, and vote history. In South Carolina it comes from South Carolina State Election Commission (sale of voter registration lists).

Access: Restricted — limited requesters or uses
Cost: By record count, for electronic files (SEC fee schedule effective March 1, 2022): 1,000 to 5,000 records $25; 5,001 to 50,000 records $25 plus $1 per 200 records; 50,001 to 75,000 records $275; 75,001 and up $275 plus $75 per additional 25,000 records, capped at **$2,500 for the statewide file**. Flat prices: State House district $160, State Senate district $300, U.S. House district $1,200. Mailing labels and printed reports cost more.
Format: Comma-separated text file by download, flash drive or DVD; mailing labels or printed reports are also sold. Order online through the SEC's saleable data portal (vrems.scvotes.sc.gov/SaleableData) or call the SEC at 803-734-9060 the first time.
Vote history: Included
Phone numbers: Not included
Updated: Confirm with South Carolina State Election Commission (sale of voter registration lists)

Who can get it: Only a registered South Carolina voter may purchase a list (S.C. Code 7-3-20(D)(13)). A campaign buys it in the candidate's or a registered volunteer's name; an out-of-state vendor cannot buy it directly.

Permitted use: Political and other non-commercial use. Using public records for commercial solicitation directed at any person in South Carolina is prohibited by S.C. Code 30-2-50, with penalties up to a $500 fine or a year in prison.

County option: You choose the geography at purchase: county, precinct, or any voting district including county council, city council and school district, so a city council candidate buys just that district (as few as 1,000 records for $25). County boards do not sell a separate list; buy from the SEC.

Fields: name, residence and mailing address, race, gender, date of birth, voter registration number, registration date, county, precinct, all voting districts, and participation history for the past two statewide primaries and general elections. No phone, no email.
Because history covers only the last two statewide primaries and generals, municipal and special election participation is not in the file; ask the county board for the absentee list from the last city election (S.C. Code 7-15-440) if you need it.
Phone numbers are collected on the registration form (S.C. Code 7-5-170) but are not released in the saleable list.

Whatever file you get, Culper imports it as a CSV and maps the columns for you. See how to read a voter file for what the fields mean.

Filing to run for local office in South Carolina

South Carolina uses two systems. Partisan offices (county council, sheriff, auditor, treasurer, coroner, probate judge, clerk of court) are nominated in the June party primary: you file a statement of intention of candidacy and party pledge with the county board during a fixed two-week window in March and pay the party's filing fee. Nonpartisan municipal and school board offices are entered by a statement of candidacy or a nominating petition filed with the municipal election commission or county board on a local calendar. Petition candidates for any office need signatures of 5 percent of the registered voters of the area.

File with: Partisan county and sub-county offices: the county board of voter registration and elections in your county of residence (7-11-15(A)(3)). Municipal offices: the municipal election commission, or the county board where the city has transferred its elections (5-15-110, 5-15-145); municipal petitions are certified to the municipal clerk (7-11-70). School boards: the county board, under the district's local act.
Filing fee: Partisan candidates pay a filing fee to the political party, collected by the county board with the statement of intention of candidacy (7-11-15(E)); the SEC's candidate page describes it as 1 percent of the office's annual salary multiplied by the years in the term, or $100, whichever is greater; confirm the figure with the party. Petition candidates pay no fee. Municipal nonpartisan fees, if any, are set by ordinance.
Petition: 5 percent of the qualified registered electors of the office's geographic area, counted 120 days before the election and capped at 10,000 signatures (7-11-70). Municipal petitions go to the municipal election commission 75 days before the election and are verified by the 60th day (5-15-110). Petitions for other offices are due on the dates in the SEC election calendar (7-13-351).
Partisan?: County offices are partisan and nominated in the June primary. Municipal elections are nonpartisan in most cities: each municipality adopts by ordinance the plurality, election-and-runoff, or primary-and-general nonpartisan method (5-15-60), although a city may instead nominate by party primary, convention or petition (5-15-63). School board seats are nonpartisan under their local acts.

Filing window: Partisan (county) offices: noon March 16 to noon March 30 of the election year, extended to the next business day when March 30 falls on a weekend (7-11-15(A)). For 2028 county council seats that is Thursday, March 16 to Thursday, March 30, 2028. Nonpartisan municipal offices: each city sets its election date and filing schedule by ordinance (5-15-50, 5-15-70); the SEC's guidance is that a statement of candidacy is due no later than 60 days before the election and a petition 75 days before (5-15-110), and 7-13-350 requires municipal nominees to be certified by noon on the 60th day before the election.

Key South Carolina dates
What	When	Note
Municipal statement of candidacy, 2027 city elections	Varies	No later than 60 days before the election (SEC candidate guidance; 7-13-350 certification deadline). Each city sets its election date and filing period by ordinance (5-15-50); ask the municipal clerk or county board.
Municipal nominating petition	Varies	75 days before the general election, filed with the municipal election commission; 5 percent of the qualified electors of the area (5-15-110).
Voter registration close, any 2027 election	Varies	Books close 30 days before each election (7-5-150); online applications count if received 30 days out (7-5-185).
Partisan filing opens, 2028 county offices	March 16, 2028	Noon; statement of intention of candidacy and party pledge with the county board of voter registration and elections (7-11-15(A)).
Partisan filing closes, 2028 county offices	March 30, 2028	Noon; your statement of economic interests must be on file with the State Ethics Commission before filing closes (8-13-1356(A)).
Statewide primaries, 2028	Varies	The 2026 statewide primaries were held June 9, 2026 with early voting from May 26 (SEC 2026 calendar, 7-13-40, 7-13-25); check the SEC calendar for the 2028 date.

Campaign finance rules in South Carolina

State-level campaign finance in South Carolina is overseen by South Carolina State Ethics Commission through State Ethics Commission electronic filing (mandatory for every candidate).

Where local candidates file: Every candidate for county council, municipal office or school board files with the State Ethics Commission, which is the 'appropriate supervisory office' for all candidates except members of the General Assembly (S.C. Code 8-13-1300(1)(a)). Nothing is filed with the county or city for campaign finance, and electronic filing is mandatory. Within ten days of raising or spending an accumulated $500 you file a statement of organization and an initial certified campaign report; a candidate who never reaches $500 still files an initial report 15 days before the election (8-13-1308(A)). You also file a statement of economic interests electronically with the Commission before the close of filing if you file by party, or within 15 days of submitting a petition (8-13-1356).

Contribution limits: $1,000 per contributor per election cycle for any office other than statewide (S.C. Code 8-13-1314(A)(1)(c)); statewide candidates may take $3,500. The statute has no inflation adjustment, so the $1,000 figure that applies to county council, city council and school board is fixed in law. Cash contributions are capped at $25 each, you may not accept money from a lobbyist who lobbies the body you seek to join, and you may not raise for two offices at once. The limits do not apply to your own money.

Reporting: Initial report within 10 days of the first $500; then quarterly reports within 10 days after each quarter in which you had activity (the Commission lists January 10, April 10, July 10 and October 10); a pre-election report at least 15 days before each election covering the period ending 20 days before it (8-13-1308(D)); no separate runoff report; a final report when the account closes at zero. A filing more than five days late draws a $100 fine that grows daily.

Contributions of more than $100 must be itemized with name and address, and during the election quarter you must keep a running list of them open to public inspection (8-13-1308(D)(1)).

Limits and thresholds change. Treat the figures here as a starting point and confirm the current schedule with South Carolina State Ethics Commission before you accept a check. Our campaign finance basics guide covers the bookkeeping every local candidate needs on day one.

How voting works in South Carolina

In person, with excuse-required absentee voting. South Carolina votes in person. Every voter may vote early without an excuse at a county early-voting center for the two weeks before an election, or at the assigned precinct on election day, with photo ID. Absentee-by-mail remains excuse-based (age 65 and over, disability, military, absence from the county, work obligations and a few others). There is no all-mail voting and no same-day registration.

Early voting: Monday through Saturday for the two-week period immediately before the election, at one to seven early-voting centers per county (7-13-25). Hours are 8:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. for a statewide general election, 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays only for any other election, and Wednesday through Friday for runoffs. Voters may use any center in their county. The statute applies to all elections, including municipal ones, but a non-statewide election gets weekday hours only.
Mail ballots: Excuse required (7-15-320): voters 65 or older, physically disabled, military and dependents, and emergency hospital patients may always vote absentee; voters with work obligations, caregivers, jailed pre-trial voters and those absent from the county may if they cannot vote during early voting or on election day. Applications come from the county board (a candidate or campaign worker may not request an application for anyone outside their immediate family, 7-15-330) and are due by 5 p.m. on the 11th day before the election; the return envelope needs an adult witness signature; ballots must be received by 7 p.m. on election day.
Registration deadline: 30 days before the election; the books close on the 30th day and stay closed through the election and any runoff (7-5-150). Mail applications must be postmarked by the deadline, and online applications through the SEC site must be received 30 days out (7-5-185).
Same-day registration: No

Knowing who has already voted: There is no statewide daily file. Two local sources exist. The county board of voter registration and elections must prepare a list of everyone issued and everyone who cast an absentee ballot and make it available for public inspection on request (7-15-440), and it marks early and absentee voters on the registration lists sent to precincts (7-15-430). Ask your county board's director, in writing, whether it will release the absentee and early-voting rosters daily during the two-week early-voting period; practice varies by county. Aggregate turnout is posted on scvotes.gov, and after the election the SEC's saleable list carries participation for statewide primaries and generals only.

Local government in South Carolina: what you can run for

46 counties, each with an elected county council; 271 municipalities (cities and towns under mayor-council, council or council-manager forms); 78 independent school districts, many created by local act and some with appointed rather than elected trustees; and 271 special purpose districts (fire, water, sewer, recreation), all per the 2022 Census of Governments. There are no townships. County council seats are partisan; municipal and school board seats are usually nonpartisan under state law and the districts' local acts.

City or town council member
Mayor
County council member
School district trustee
Sheriff
County auditor, treasurer or coroner
Probate judge
Clerk of court
Special purpose district commissioner
Soil and water conservation district commissioner

When local elections happen: County offices are on the state cycle: statewide primaries in June (June 9 in 2026) and the general election on the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November of even years. Municipal election dates are set by each city by ordinance (5-15-50) with at least 60 days' public notice; terms are two or four years, usually staggered (5-15-40). School board elections follow the district's local act, most often alongside the November general in even years. Check the SEC's upcoming elections page and your county board for the 2027 schedule.

Running your South Carolina campaign on Culper

Culper does not license voter data in South Carolina today. You upload the South Carolina voter file described above as a CSV, and every feature runs on it: search and lists, plain-English queries, texting and email, block walking, and volunteer coordination. Online donation processing is in development; ask about timing on the onboarding call. Your file stays in your campaign's workspace and is never shared with another campaign.

Set up your South Carolina campaign in an afternoon

Upload the voter file, ask for your first list in plain English, and hand your volunteers the walking app. Signup is open to candidates in every state. Pricing is set after a short call so it matches the size of the race.

Get started Book a demo

South Carolina questions we get asked

Who can buy the South Carolina voter file, and what does it cost?

Only a registered South Carolina voter can buy it, so a campaign orders in the candidate's or a volunteer's name through the SEC's saleable data portal. Electronic files are priced by record count: $25 for up to 5,000 records, $25 plus $1 per 200 records up to 50,000, $275 up to 75,000, then $75 per additional 25,000 records with a $2,500 cap for the whole state. It includes date of birth, race, gender, precinct, districts and the last two statewide primaries and generals of vote history, but no phone or email.

Where does a city council candidate in South Carolina file campaign finance reports?

With the State Ethics Commission, electronically, like every other South Carolina candidate except legislators (S.C. Code 8-13-1300). You file a statement of organization and an initial report within ten days of reaching $500 raised or spent, quarterly reports after that, a pre-election report 15 days before the election, and a statement of economic interests before filing closes. Your municipal clerk does not take finance reports.

What is the contribution limit for local candidates in South Carolina?

$1,000 per contributor per election cycle for any office other than statewide, which covers county council, city council and school board (S.C. Code 8-13-1314). Statewide candidates may take $3,500. Cash gifts are limited to $25 each, and you may not accept contributions from a lobbyist who lobbies the body you are running for. The statute has no inflation adjustment, so the South Carolina limit does not change year to year.

How do I file to run for county council in South Carolina?

County council and other county offices are partisan. Between noon March 16 and noon March 30 of the even election year you file a statement of intention of candidacy and party pledge with your county board of voter registration and elections and pay the party's filing fee (S.C. Code 7-11-15); your statement of economic interests must be filed with the State Ethics Commission before filing closes. You then run in the June primary. Independents file a petition with 5 percent of the registered voters of the county instead (7-11-70).

How do I file to run for city council or school board in South Carolina?

Most South Carolina municipal and school board seats are nonpartisan. You file a statement of intention of candidacy with the municipal election commission (or the county board, if the city has transferred its elections) no later than 60 days before the election, or a nominating petition signed by 5 percent of the area's qualified electors 75 days before (S.C. Code 5-15-110). Each city sets its election date and filing period by ordinance, so call the municipal clerk first.

Does South Carolina have early voting for municipal elections?

Yes. S.C. Code 7-13-25 requires the authority running any election to offer no-excuse early voting Monday through Saturday for the two weeks before it. For an election that is not a statewide general, centers are open weekdays 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., so a South Carolina city election gets ten weekdays of early voting rather than twelve days. Voters may use any early-voting center in their county and must show photo ID.

How can a South Carolina campaign find out who has already voted?

Ask the county board of voter registration and elections. South Carolina has no statewide daily file, but the county board must compile a list of everyone issued and everyone who cast an absentee ballot and open it to public inspection (7-15-440), and it flags early and absentee voters on the precinct registration lists (7-15-430). Request the rosters in writing before early voting starts and ask how often the board will update them.

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Sources

Facts on this page were checked against the official sources below on September 9, 2026. Rules change between cycles; when a number here and the agency disagree, the agency is right.