The name of a candidate authorized by law to appear on a ballot in a general, special, or primary election in this State for any office may be one of the following or a combination of them:
(1) the candidate's given name;
(2) a derivative of the candidate's given name properly acquired under the common law and used in good faith for honest purposes; or
(3) a nickname which bears no relation to the candidate's given name but which is used in good faith for honest purposes and does not exceed fifteen letters on the ballot.
The derivative name or nickname may not imply professional or social status, an office, or military rank.
A candidate wanting to use a derivative name or a nickname, as permitted by items (2) and (3), respectively, of this section, shall notify the authority responsible by law for conducting the election, in writing, before a deadline for receiving or certifying candidates' names for inclusion on the ballot, the name he wishes to have appear and shall present evidence required by the authority conducting the election that the name indicated is his derivative name or nickname. In deciding whether the name indicated is the candidate's derivative name or nickname, the authority conducting the election shall consider appropriate criteria, including, but not limited to, the following:
(a) whether the name is the designation by which the candidate is usually and commonly known in the community in which he resides or called by other persons;
(b) whether the name is the designation by which the candidate calls himself or which he has adopted;
(c) whether the name is the designation under which the candidate transacts private and official business.
The State Election Commission may promulgate regulations to carry out the provisions of the section, including, but not limited to, forms to be completed by the candidate and the deadline by which a candidate shall indicate the name he wished to have appear on the ballot.
HISTORY: 1987 Act No. 180 Section 1, eff June 30, 1987; 1989 Act No. 106, Section 1, eff May 31, 1989.
Structure South Carolina Code of Laws
Chapter 13 - Conduct Of Elections
Section 7-13-20. Time of general election for certain county officers.
Section 7-13-25. Early voting.
Section 7-13-30. Time of election of probate judges.
Section 7-13-35. Notice of general, municipal, special, and primary elections.
Section 7-13-45. Acceptance of filings.
Section 7-13-50. Second and other primaries.
Section 7-13-60. Hours polls open.
Section 7-13-72. Managers of election.
Section 7-13-80. Organization of voter registration and elections; managers and clerks; oaths.
Section 7-13-100. Managers shall take oath before opening polls.
Section 7-13-110. Residency requirements of chairmen, clerks, and managers of elections.
Section 7-13-120. Candidates and their relatives may not be managers or clerks.
Section 7-13-140. Maintenance of order; police powers of managers.
Section 7-13-150. Penalty for failure to assist in maintaining order.
Section 7-13-160. Peace officers shall enter polling place only on request or to vote.
Section 7-13-170. Procedure when managers fail to attend, take charge of, or conduct election.
Section 7-13-180. Posting proposed constitutional amendments at polling place.
Section 7-13-190. Special elections to fill vacancies in office.
Section 7-13-310. Kinds of general election ballots; different colored paper to be used.
Section 7-13-315. Joint election of Governor and Lieutenant Governor; single vote.
Section 7-13-320. Ballot standards and specifications.
Section 7-13-325. Use of candidate's given name, derivative of, or nickname on ballot.
Section 7-13-330. Form of ballot; instructions.
Section 7-13-335. Arrangement of names on certain ballots.
Section 7-13-340. Printing and distribution of ballots.
Section 7-13-350. Certification of candidates; verification of qualifications.
Section 7-13-351. Nominees by petition.
Section 7-13-360. Place on ballot for write-in names.
Section 7-13-370. Death, withdrawal, or disqualification of candidate after name printed on ballot.
Section 7-13-380. Reprinting ballots to delete name of deceased or withdrawn candidate is optional.
Section 7-13-390. Limitations on withdrawal of candidacy.
Section 7-13-400. Form of ballot when questions are submitted.
Section 7-13-410. Ballots where both statewide and local constitutional amendments are submitted.
Section 7-13-420. Oath of printer of ballots and assistants.
Section 7-13-460. Use of paper ballots.
Section 7-13-610. Ballot specifications; separate ballots for each party.
Section 7-13-611. Arrangement of official county and state primary ballots.
Section 7-13-720. Oath of voter.
Section 7-13-730. Delivery and marking of ballot; deposit into ballot box.
Section 7-13-780. Designation of voters who may receive assistance.
Section 7-13-790. Substitute for marred or defaced ballot.
Section 7-13-800. Write-ins to be in handwriting of voter or authorized manager.
Section 7-13-810. Prevention of illegal voting or taking too much time; challenging voters.
Section 7-13-820. Voting by person whose name is not on registration book.
Section 7-13-825. Location of requirements to challenge a ballot.
Section 7-13-830. Procedure when voter challenged.
Section 7-13-840. Ballot boxes; number, location, construction, color, labeling.
Section 7-13-850. Closing polls; voters waiting may vote.
Section 7-13-860. Watchers; appointment, qualifications, identification, and conduct.
Section 7-13-1010. Additional oath of voters.
Section 7-13-1020. Absentee voting not permitted in primaries; exceptions.
Section 7-13-1030. Voting by National Guard when on duty.
Section 7-13-1040. No person may vote in more than one primary on same day.
Section 7-13-1110. Counting ballots and declaration of result; volunteer personnel may assist.
Section 7-13-1120. Disposition of improperly marked ballots.
Section 7-13-1130. Disposition of ballots found in wrong box and ballots folded together.
Section 7-13-1140. Procedure when too many ballots found in box or too many votes tabulated.
Section 7-13-1160. Reporting of election results to State Election Commission.
Section 7-13-1170. Ordering of new election by Governor.
Section 7-13-1340. Requirements for vote recorders or optical scan voting devices.
Section 7-13-1350. Payment for vote recorders.
Section 7-13-1360. Form and contents of ballot labels; primary elections.
Section 7-13-1370. Ballot cards.
Section 7-13-1371. Ballot cards used in conjunction with optical scanning device; instructions.
Section 7-13-1380. Write-in votes.
Section 7-13-1400. Delivery of vote recorders; duties of officials at polling places.
Section 7-13-1410. Duties of officials after closing of polls; review of ballots; duplicate ballots.
Section 7-13-1420. Observation by poll watchers after polls close.
Section 7-13-1440. Witnesses are to observe at counting station.
Section 7-13-1450. Public display of vote recorders preceding election.
Section 7-13-1460. Use of paper ballots where use of vote recorders is not possible or practicable.
Section 7-13-1470. Procedure when vote recorder becomes out of order.
Section 7-13-1480. Custody, storage, and care of vote recorders.
Section 7-13-1490. Regulations, instructions, and forms.
Section 7-13-1500. Oath of person preparing or operating tabulating devices.
Section 7-13-1610. State Board of Voting Machine Commissioners.
Section 7-13-1620. Voting system approval process.
Section 7-13-1640. Voting machine requirements.
Section 7-13-1650. Experimental use of voting machines.
Section 7-13-1655. "Voting system" defined; State Election Commission duties.
Section 7-13-1670. Demonstrations with machines for instruction of voters.
Section 7-13-1680. Number of voting machines; type and use; repair; custody.
Section 7-13-1690. Employment and qualifications of custodians of voting machines.
Section 7-13-1710. Voting machine ballots; arrangement of nominations.
Section 7-13-1720. Unopposed candidates in primaries.
Section 7-13-1730. Use of separate ballots on constitutional amendments and other public measures.
Section 7-13-1740. Sample or instruction ballots.
Section 7-13-1780. Placement of voting machines in polling places.
Section 7-13-1790. Lights and screens.
Section 7-13-1810. Instructions of voters by model machine at polling place.
Section 7-13-1820. Persons within guard rail; time permitted voters to vote.
Section 7-13-1830. Instruction after voter has entered machine.
Section 7-13-1840. Assistance may be given to voters.
Section 7-13-1850. Write-in ballots.
Section 7-13-1860. Duty to protect machines against injury.
Section 7-13-1870. Procedure when voting machine becomes inoperative.
Section 7-13-1880. Canvass and return of vote; return of provisional and failsafe ballots.
Section 7-13-1900. Use of voting machines for primary elections.
Section 7-13-1910. Possession of voting machine key by unauthorized person.
Section 7-13-1920. Tampering with voting machine.
Section 7-13-1930. Other provisions of this Title applicable to use of voting machines.
Section 7-13-2120. Constitutional Ballot Commission.
Section 7-13-2130. Jurisdiction of proceedings challenging explanations.