____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

SCGOP State Convention Rules

RULE 7
State Organization

(a) State Convention
(1) The state convention shall meet at a location in this State determined

by the state committee to have adequate facilities during the month of
May of every non-general election year on a day and at a time fixed by
the state committee and announced publicly at least ten days before the
meeting. In presidential election years, that state convention shall be held
after the presidential preference primary and no less than five (5) days
following the Congressional district conventions. Notice shall be given in
at least three (3) newspapers of general circulation in the state giving the
time, date, and place of the convention. The State Chairman shall also
give written notice to each member of the State Executive Committee and
each County Chairman of the date, time, and place of the Convention.
The State Committee shall include in the call to convention available
accommodations convenient to the convention site.
(2) The State Convention shall be composed of delegates elected by the
County Convention, each county to be entitled to one delegate for every
6,000 residents in the county or major fraction thereof, according to the
latest United States Census, plus two additional delegates, unless a
County Convention has elected double the number of delegates, in which
event all such one-half (1/2) vote delegates shall be seated. Any county
delegation may change its votes from half votes to whole votes one time
only upon recess of the State Convention which lasts 48 hours or longer.
At the time the county delegation votes to go to whole votes, said
delegates shall elect from the one-half vote delegates those individuals

who are to serve as whole vote delegates. The remaining former one-half
vote delegates will then become alternates, who will fill any vacancies in
the delegation, prior to any of the original alternates. Each county
delegation to a State Convention may fill any vacancies therein, first from
among elected alternates, in order designated, if any, by the County
Convention and thereafter from any delegates to the County Convention.
Each county delegation to the State Convention shall have as its
spokesman or chairman the county chairman or vice-chairman if that
person is among the elected delegates; otherwise, the delegation shall
elect its own chairman or spokesman. (7-9-100)
(3) The credentials committee of the State Convention shall be comprised
of one (1) delegate from each county elected to the state credentials
committee by the county conventions. Should the duly elected county
delegate to the state credentials committee fail to attend and serve on
said committee, the county chairman has authority to serve, and in the
absence of both the delegate and the county chairman the state executive
committeeman has authority to serve. The state chairman shall call
the members of the credentials committee to meet in Columbia on the
day before the convening of the state convention. The state chairman
shall give written notice of the time, date and place of the meeting. At
the meeting the credentials committee shall organize, electing one of
its members as chairman and one as secretary, and shall proceed to
examine and certify or reject the credentials of each county in alphabetical
sequence. In case of a contest as to the election of delegates by any
county, the county chairman shall notify the state chairman of such
contest at the time the report of the county convention is made to the state
chairman furnishing the names and addresses of all persons claiming to
be delegates to the state convention. The credentials committee shall not
seat any delegate to the credentials committee from a county where there
is a contest until and unless the committee first determines the rights
of a properly designated delegate to a seat on the credentials committee
meeting. The county chairman of the county in which the contest may
arise shall notify all contestants of the time, date and place of the
credentials committee meeting. The credentials committee shall hear
and determine such contest or contests in such manner as it shall decide
upon. It shall report its findings and recommendations to the State
Convention through its chairman or secretary as soon as the temporary
organization of the convention is elected. Any person aggrieved by the
report of the credentials committee may appeal to the state convention
if he is a delegate to the convention, or if he would be a delegate but

for the report of the credentials committee. Any member or members of
the credentials committee may make a minority report if desired unless
three-fourths (3/4) of the delegates to the convention vote not to receive a
minority report.
(b) Convention Proceedings In all state conventions business shall be conducted
as follows:
(1) The meeting shall be called to order by the state chairman or vice-
chairman if the chairman is not present. 7-9-100)
(2) A temporary convention president and a temporary convention
secretary shall be elected. (7-9-100)
(3) The credentials committee shall make its report and any appeal from
the credentials committee’s report shall be made to the convention.
(4) When organized, a permanent convention president, two secretaries,
one or more vice-presidents, a treasurer, and such other convention
officers as may be desired shall be elected.
(5) The State Convention shall elect the state chairman and the state first
vice-chairman, (7-9-90). The State Convention may also elect a second
vice-chairman and third vice-chairman whose duties will be determined by
the State Executive Committee.
(6) The State Convention shall be recessed in non-general election years
and may be reconvened in the following general election year at the
time set by the State Executive Committee to conduct such business as
it deems advisable, including nomination of candidates. In presidential
election years, the State Convention shall be re-convened to elect a
national committeeman and national committeewoman and to elect at-
large delegates and alternates to the National Convention. The State
Convention may instruct its delegates and alternates to a national
convention as to any matters it deems necessary.
(7) Notice shall be given in at least three (3) newspapers of general
circulation in the state giving the time, date and place of any reconvened
State Convention at least fifteen (15) days prior to the established time.
(8)
(a) No person shall be allowed to run for Delegate-at-large or
Alternate-at-large to the National Convention who is not a state
delegate or alternate to the state convention. Each candidate for
election as such Delegate-at-large shall file with and place in the
possession of the state chairman before twelve (12) o’clock noon
on the seventh day before the day fixed for the meeting of the
state convention a written notice of his or her candidacy and the
state chairman shall provide such convention with a list of such

candidates.
(b) No person elected at a congressional district convention to
be a delegate or alternate shall be eligible to be a candidate for
selection as a delegate or alternate to be voted for at a state
convention unless such person has filed and placed in possession
of his congressional district chairman or his designee by twelve (12)
o’clock on the third (3rd) day before the day fixed for the meeting
of the state convention a written notice of his resignation as such
delegate or alternate from such congressional district.
(c) The election of such delegates-at-large and alternates-at-large
shall be made by vote of the state convention by ballot upon which
shall be listed all such candidates for the office of delegate-at-large.
(d) Each delegate to the state convention may vote for a number
of such candidates not exceeding twice the number of such
delegates-at-large to be elected by the state convention. Those
candidates receiving the most votes shall be elected delegates-at-
large, and those candidates receiving next highest number of votes
shall be elected alternates-at-large.
(e) A record of the vote at the convention shall be retained by the
state chairman. Such record shall consist of a list of the candidates
arranged in the order of the number of votes received by them,
with the candidate receiving the greatest number ranked first, and
candidates with fewer votes ranked in descending order of the
number of votes received by each in succession. The number of
votes received by each candidate also shall be shown on said list.
In the case of a tie, the position of the tying candidates on the list
shall be determined by drawing lots.
(f) In the event a delegate-at-large or alternate-at-large elected at
the state convention resigns his position by giving notice in writing
to the state chairman before the organizational meeting provided
for in these rules to be called of all delegates and alternates elected
to the national convention, the next highest ranked candidate on
the record of the vote at the State Convention willing to serve shall
fill such vacancy and his position shall be similarly filled, and the
state chairman shall promptly notify the affected candidates.
(g) Within (4) four weeks after the election of the delegates and
alternates, it shall be the responsibility of the State Chairman
of the South Carolina Republican Party to call a meeting of all
delegates and alternates elected to the National Convention for
the purpose of organizing the delegation. At this time, acting under

the leadership of the State Chairman, the delegates shall proceed
to elect a delegation chairman, a delegation vice-chairman, and a
delegation secretary. At this point in time, the National Convention
delegation becomes a body unto itself and shall be governed by
its own actions not inconsistent with the rules of the Republican
National Convention.
(h) In the event one or more delegates-at-large or alternates-
at-large cannot attend the national convention, and such fact is
made known by the delegate in writing to the chairman of the
delegation, all candidates lower on the convention-vote record shall
be considered elected to the office which their new position on the
convention-vote record has entitled them. Once the credentials
committee adopts the official roll at the convention, vacancies shall
be filled in numerical order as provided in these rules.
(i) In a national convention, in the absence of any delegate-at-
large, his place shall be filled from alternates in the following
order: Alternate-at-large in the order listed; district alternates in the
assigned order of districts (said order having been determined prior
to the opening of the convention by lot at a caucus attended by the
highest ranking member from each district) and in the order listed
within districts.
(j) In the absence of a delegate from any congressional district,
his place shall be taken by an alternate in the following order:
alternates from the same district in the order listed; alternates-
at-large in the order listed; district alternates from other districts
in numerical order and in the order named within the districts.
Provided further, however, that with the written notice to the
chairman of the delegation, any delegate-at-large, already present
at the national convention, shall select any alternate-at-large to
represent him in his temporary absence, which shall not exceed
one convention session in each instance, and any district delegate,
already present at the convention, may select a district alternate
from the same district to represent him, his temporary absence not
to exceed one convention session in each instance.
(9) No resolutions shall be considered by the State Convention that
shall not have received the prior approval of at least one county
convention, the State Executive Committee, or a Resolutions
committee appointed by the State Executive Committee.