The South Carolina Senate is the upper house of the South Carolina General Assembly, the lower house being the South Carolina House of Representatives. It consists of 46 senators elected from single member districts for four-year terms at the same time as United States Presidential elections.
The South Carolina Constitution of 1895 provided for each county to elect one senator for a four-year term. The election of senators was staggered so that half of the state Senate was elected every two years. After the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in 1964 for the case Reynolds v. Sims, the state Senate was reapportioned in 1966 as a temporary measure into 27 districts with 50 members for two-year terms. In 1967, the state Senate was again reapportioned, this time into 20 districts with 46 members for four-year terms. The number of districts was reduced to 16 in 1972 and in 1984, they were eliminated with the creation of single member districts.
The annual session of the General Assembly convenes at the State Capitol Building in Columbia on the second Tuesday of January of each year. However, after convening, either the House or the Senate may call for itself a 30-day recess by a majority vote, or a longer recess by a two-thirds vote.
Composition
kinda sucks: GOP state senator whines he may lose his job as police haul him away during DUI arrest - State Senator Paul Campbell (R-SC) is facing suspension from the South Carolina legislature after being arrested Saturday on charges of drunken driving and lying to police, The Post and Courier...
Leadership
Members of the South Carolina Senate
Except as noted, all Senators were elected in November 2016. All terms expire in November 2020.
Past composition of the Senate
(a) The election of a Democrat from Abbeville was declared void and the seat remained vacant.
(b) All 7 were members of the Conservative Party of South Carolina.
(c) All 7 were Independent Democrats.
(d) After the 2000 elections, the Senate was evenly split between 23 Democrats and 23 Republicans. A Democrat, J. Verne Smith of Greer, switched to the Republicans to break the tie.
(e) Republicans gained an additional seat in a 2007 special election.
References
- Dubin, Michael J. (2007) Party affiliations in the state legislatures : a year by year summary, 1796-2006.
External links
- South Carolina State House Online
- South Carolina Legislative Information Tracking System allows users to track legislative information via custom reports, tracking lists or subscription services. Services are provided via web search or Palm Pilot.
- The South Carolina Senate Democratic Caucus
- The South Carolina Senate Republican Caucus
- Project Vote Smart â€" State Senate of South Carolina
