COLUMBIA, S.C. — South Carolina party officials are continuing the process of working with candidates to get them over the finish line on November 5.
Party officials say the requirements aren't extensive to run, but recruitment processes start long before.
“[Qualifications] really come down to someone who's over 18, registered to vote, and preferably lives in the district they want to run for,” said South Carolina Republican Party Chair Drew McKissick. "We spend a lot of time working with our county party leadership. They live there. We don't. They know who the best candidates are, who would be the most qualified, has the best contacts in the community, who maybe have the best ability to raise money and to organize well."
Both the Republican and Democratic parties have about a week after the filing deadline to verify candidate information and forward it to the State Election Commission,
Parties generally can't tell someone they can't run, but the SC Democratic Party will vet candidates and help them understand the commitment, says Party Executive Director Jay Parmley.
“We have a one-on-one conversation, typically, about the entire process of running, not just the qualifications, but… what their life will be like as a candidate, and what the campaign can and probably should should look like,” said Parmley.
Should a candidate become ineligible or drop out close to the election, neither Parmley says they don't maintain an extensive list of backup candidates. Instead, they rely on local party officials to find a replacement quickly.
"We scramble," said Parmley. "We go first to our local county parties and our elected officials in that area and say... this is going to be an open seat, or we're going to have to reopen filing, or whatever it may be."
In cases where ballots are already printed, votes for withdrawn candidates are still tallied, though they don’t impact the final election outcome.