Minimum Requirements for County Offices
A person convicted of a felony or an offense against the election laws is not qualified to file for or hold office, unless it has been fifteen years since the completion of the sentence for the crime or unless the person has been pardoned (S.C. Constitution, Article VI, Section 1).
Candidate's qualifications for all offices, except SC Senate and SC House of Representatives, are determined at the time of the election and not at the time of filing or nomination. Qualifications for Senate and House are determined at the time of filing.
Requirements to run for office at the County/Municipal level vary and a prospective candidate should contact their local offices for more information. For more information about qualifications, click here.
|
Office |
Council |
Treasurer |
Auditor |
Clerk of Court |
|
Minimum Age |
18 |
18 |
18 |
18 |
|
Residency Requirement |
Must be a resident of the county and/or district at the time of the election |
Must be a resident of the county and/or district at the time of the election |
Must be a resident of the county at the time of the election |
Must be a resident of the county at the time of the election |
|
Registered Voter |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
|
Term of Office |
4 years/ 2years |
4 years |
4 years |
4 years |
|
Consecutive Terms Special |
Indefinite |
Indefinite |
Indefinite |
Indefinite |
|
Qualifications/ |
Term is for 2 years in the following counties: Anderson, Edgefield, Orangeburg and York |
Treasurer is appointed in the following counties: Greenwood & York |
Auditor is appointed in the following counties: Greenwood & York |
|
|
Office |
Coroner | Probate Judge | Sheriff | Register of Deeds |
|
Minimum Age | 21 | 21 | 21 | 18 |
|
State Resident | Must be a resident of the county for at least 1 year immediately preceding the date of the election. Must be a U.S. citizen | Must be a resident of the county at the time of the election | Must be a resident of the county for at least 1 year immediately preceding the date of the election. Must be a U.S. citizen. | Must be a resident of the county at the time of the election |
|
Registered Voter | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
|
Term of Office | 4 years | 4 years | 4 years | 4 years |
|
Consecutive Terms Special | Indefinite | Indefinite | Indefinite* | Indefinite |
|
Qualifications/ | S.C. Code of Laws Section 14-23-1040 includes an education/experience requirement for Probate Judge. (Act 678 of 1990) However, the U.S. Department of Justice objected to the requirement, and the act was never precleared and is therefore unenforceable. |
See below for complete qualifications |
|
|
Office |
School Board | Soil & Water Conservation District Commissioner |
|
Minimum Age | 18 | 18 |
|
State Resident | Must be a resident of the county and/or district at the time of the election | Must be a resident of the county and/or district at the time of the election |
|
Registered Voter | Yes | Yes |
|
Term of Office | 4 years/ 3 years/ 2 years | 4 years |
|
Consecutive Terms Special | Indefinite | Indefinite |
|
Qualifications/ | Contact the SC School Board Association for more information |
*Candidates for Sheriff must meet the following qualifications (S.C. Code of Laws 23-11-110): a) Have a high school diploma & 5 years experience as a certified law enf. officer; or 2 year associate degree & 3 years experience as a certified law enf. officer; or 4 year bachelors degree & 1 year experience as a certified law enf. officer; or served as a summary court judge for at least 10 years. Must not have pled guilty or been convicted of a felony in this state or in any other state or pled guilty or been convicted of driving under suspension of a license or driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol within the past 10 years. Candidates must be fingerprinted and have SLED make a search of local, state and federal fingerprint files for any criminal record. Fingerprints are to be taken under the direction of any law enforcement agency and must be made available to SLED no later than 130 days prior to the General Election. The results of the records search are to be filed with the county executive committee of the person's political party. A person seeking nomination by petition must file the results with the county election commission in the county of his residence. Candidates must file a sworn affidavit containing certain information and affirming that the person meets all qualifications as required. Affidavits can be obtained from political parties or the local county election commission.