SC Facts and Figures

 

Executive
The constitution of 1895 is still the state's basic governing document, although it has been amended many times. The governor, the state's chief executive official, is elected for a four-year term and may succeed to the office only once. Other elected officials are the lieutenant governor, secretary of state, attorney general, adjutant general, treasurer, comptroller general, superintendent of education, and commissioner of agriculture. All are elected to four-year terms, and there is no limit on the number of times they are re-elected.

Legislative
The SC state legislature is called the General Assembly, and consists of a 46-member Senate and a 124-member House of Representatives. Senators are elected to four-year terms and representatives are elected to two-year terms. Sessions of the legislature are held each year beginning on the second Tuesday in January and ending on the first Thursday of June.

Judicial
The Supreme Court, the state’s highest court, has original as well as appellate jurisdiction. The court consists of five justices: a chief justice and four associate justices. The next highest court is the court of appeals, followed by circuit courts. Lower courts include probate courts, magistrate’s courts, recorder’s courts, and family courts.

 

South Carolina has six representatives in the US House of Representatives and two members in the US Senate. The state has eight electoral votes in presidential elections.