ECIElection Campaign-Finance Index

The statute explicitly codifies a contribution limit ($3,500 per calendar year) in statutory language, leaving no discretion to administrative agencies. The framework is grounded directly in the statute, satisfying the requirement that contribution limits be set by statute rather than administrative discretion.

“A person may not contribute to a committee and a committee may not accept from a person contributions aggregating more than three thousand five hundred dollars in a calendar year.”

The section explicitly references 'independent expenditures' as a triggering event for reporting requirements and mandates that independent expenditures be reported with specificity (name, address, amount, date, purpose, beneficiary). However, the section does not define what constitutes an independent expenditure, does not distinguish independent expenditures from contributions or direct expenditures, and does not establish the legal framework or restrictions governing who may make them or under what conditions. The statute codifies reporting procedures for independent expenditures but not the rules defining or regulating independent expenditures themselves.

“Upon the receipt or expenditure of campaign contributions or the making of independent expenditures totaling, in an accumulated aggregate, two thousand five hundred dollars or more, a ballot measure committee required to file a statement of organization pursuant to Section 8-13-1304(B) must file an initial certified campaign report within ten days of these initial receipts or expenditures.”

South Carolina statute explicitly addresses anonymous contributions with a defined statutory disposition: recipients must remit all non-compliant anonymous contributions to the Children's Trust Fund within seven days. The statute also enumerates the narrow exception where anonymous contributions are permissible (ticketed events with food/beverages/merchandise at ≤$25, with proceeds going to event costs). This satisfies the procedural-clarity requirement by providing clear, exhaustive statutory enumeration of both the prohibition and the mandatory disposition of non-compliant contributions.

“The recipient of an anonymous contribution given in violation of subsection (A) or the recipient of any other anonymous contribution shall not keep the contribution but within seven days must remit the contribution to the Children's Trust Fund.”

The statute explicitly defines the disclosure threshold at $100 for individual contributor identification in subsection (F)(2). Additionally, subsection (A) establishes a $500 aggregate threshold for triggering initial filing requirements. These thresholds are codified directly in the statute, not delegated to regulation or administrative discretion.

“the name and address of each person making a contribution of more than one hundred dollars and the amount and date of receipt of each contribution”

The statute explicitly enumerates multiple filing deadlines in statutory text: initial reports within 10 days of $500+ receipts/expenditures, alternative 15-day pre-election initial reports, quarterly reports within 10 days after quarter-end, and pre-election reports at least 15 days before election. This provides clear, exhaustive procedural specification of when candidates and committees must file, satisfying the enumeration requirement for filing schedules.

“a candidate or committee required to file a statement of organization pursuant to Section 8-13-1304(A) must file an initial certified campaign report within ten days of these initial receipts or expenditures. However, a candidate who does not receive or expend campaign contributions totaling an accumulated aggregate of five hundred dollars or more must file an initial certified campaign report fifteen days before an election. (B) Following the filing of an initial certified campaign report, additional certified campaign reports must be filed within ten days following the end of each calendar quarter in which contributions are received or expenditures are made, whether before or after an election until the campaign account undergoes final disbursement pursuant to the provisions of Section 8-13-1370. (C) Campaign reports filed by a candidate must be certified by the candidate. Campaign reports filed by a committee must be certified by a duly authorized officer of the committee. (D)(1) At least fifteen days before an election, a certified campaign report must be filed showing contributions of more than one hundred dollars and expenditures to or by the candidate or committee for the period ending twenty days before the election.”

Section 8-13-1302(A)(2) requires disclosure of contributor name and address, and § 8-13-1302(A)(6) separately requires disclosure of occupation. Together these provisions mandate full-identity disclosure (name, address, occupation) for all contributions, with no threshold exemption stated. The statute explicitly enumerates each required field and imposes a four-year retention requirement, satisfying both the enumeration and record-retention elements of procedural clarity.

“the name and address of each person making a contribution and the amount and date of receipt of each contribution”

No matching sections in corpus.

The statute specifies both criminal penalties (fine up to $10,000 and/or imprisonment up to one year) and civil remedies (attorney's fees and costs as determined by court), with designated enforcement authority (Attorney General or solicitor). The penalty schedule is explicitly codified in statute with defined amounts and grades.

“Any person convicted of violating the provisions of this section shall be fined not more than ten thousand dollars or imprisoned for not more than one year. (B) The Attorney General or the solicitor of the judicial circuit in which the violation occurred, shall prosecute immediately a person violating the provisions of this section. (C) Nothing in this section shall preclude appropriate civil remedies by an aggrieved party. The court shall, upon a finding that a person violated the provisions of this section, award reasonable attorney's fees and the costs of bringing such action as determined by the court.”

The section establishes multi-branch balance through bipartisan composition requirements and removal mechanisms (Governor or legislature via Supreme Court action), protecting against single-branch dominance. However, the Governor alone appoints all five members, and the statute does not explicitly address protection from in-cycle political pressure or define what constitutes prohibited political interference during election periods, leaving some procedural ambiguity regarding real-time political insulation.

“at least one of whom shall be a member of the majority political party represented in the General Assembly and at least one of whom shall be a member of the largest minority political party represented in the General Assembly, to be appointed by the Governor”

No matching sections in corpus.

No matching sections in corpus.

No section in the FTS-surfaced candidates satisfies this criterion. Best signal: § 8-13-322 addresses prohibited ex parte contact with ethics investigators during pending complaints—an investigative-integrity rule—and contains no language whatsoever regarding foreign-source contributions, indirect foreign funding channels, corporate-ownership tracing, or any mechanism to verify or restrict foreign nationals' participation in campaign finance via domestic entities. This section falls entirely outside the foreign-source regulatory framework.

No section in the FTS-surfaced candidates satisfies this criterion. Best signal: Section § 7-3-20 addresses the appointment, qualifications, duties, and conduct of the State Election Commission's executive director. It does not contain any statutory requirement for campaign committees to verify that contributors are not foreign-source, nor does it establish any verification procedures or attestation mechanisms for contributors. The section is entirely administrative in focus and does not engage with campaign-finance contribution rules.

Section 8-13-1308(D)(3) requires records to remain open to public inspection in the narrow context of runoff elections, but does not establish a general, defined record-retention period for campaign contributions, expenditures, or supporting documentation. The statute mandates reporting and certification of campaign reports but does not specify how long committees must preserve contributor lists, bank statements, or expenditure receipts—only that certain pre-election lists 'must be maintained' during the pre-election period. A comprehensive retention requirement with a defined duration (e.g., 'shall retain for three years') is absent.

“However, records must remain open to public inspection upon request between the election and the runoff.”

No matching sections in corpus.