SC’s top Democratic senator urges return to deal with November voting due to COVID-19
A top Democratic senator on Monday urged his chamber’s Republican leader to call legislators back to Columbia ahead of a scheduled September return to deal specifically with voter safety in November as the COVID-19 pandemic continues.
In a two-page letter, Senate Minority Leader Nikki Setzler asked Senate President Harvey Peeler, R-Cherokee, to call senators back to the State House to tackle the state’s response to voter safety on Election Day in November, more than a week after the state’s top election official sent a letter to legislative leaders urging them to take immediate action to give election officials enough time.
“Waiting until September to address the elections, while at the same time having the challenge of passing a state budget with reduced revenue, would be unfair to our constituents who want to vote safely in the November election,” Setzler, D-Lexington, wrote. “It also will not provide our state and county election commissions the time they need to implement changes we make.”
But minutes after Setzler’s letter hit reporters’ inboxes, Peeler tweeted lawmakers’ September return should be fine.
“Our goal will be to protect the safety of the voter AND the vote. We should be able to accomplish that in September.”
In May, the General Assembly expanded absentee voting for the June primary as the state’s COVID-19 rate continued to surge. The decision by lawmakers came less than a month before the primary, but gave S.C. voters an option to vote by mail.
This month, Marci Andino, head of the State Election Commission, asked lawmakers to take action more quickly, including a request that they, like the primary, reinstate the “state of emergency” option for South Carolinians to cast absentee ballots.
Andino said that the turnout in November is expected to be much higher than the June primary because of the presidential race being on the ticket.
Peeler told The State while his plan is to do “whatever’s needed to protect the voter and to protect the vote,” now is too early, adding the Legislature’s Sept. 15 return should give election officials enough time to make elections safer depending on what lawmakers decide.
House Majority Leader Gary Simrill, R-York, also said there have been no conversations with the Senate and House about returning before September.
“I want to listen to the other senators and get their thoughts on it before I make a decision,” Peeler said.
This story was originally published July 27, 2020 at 4:37 PM with the headline "SC’s top Democratic senator urges return to deal with November voting due to COVID-19."
