Governor of South Carolina

South Carolina State Executives

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The Governor of the State of South Carolina is an elected Constitutional officer, the head of the Executive branch, and the highest state office in South Carolina. The Governor is popularly elected every four years by a plurality and is limited to two consecutive terms.

Current officer

The 116th and current governor is Nikki Haley, a Republican elected in 2010.

Authority

The state Constitution addresses the office of the governor in Article IV, the Executive Department.

Under Article IV, Section I:

The supreme executive authority of this State shall be vested in a Chief Magistrate, who shall be styled "The Governor of the State of South Carolina."

Qualifications

Governors
Current Governors
Gubernatorial Elections
2012 • 2011 • 2010 Lists of candidates
Current Lt. Governors
Lt. Governor Elections
2012 • 2011 • 2010
Breaking news

A candidate for the governor must be:

• at least 30 years old
• a citizen of the United States
• a resident of South Carolina for at least five years
• believe in the existence of the "Supreme Being"

Additionally, the Governor may not hold office or a commission under any other power, excepting that of a militia.

Elections

South Carolina elects governors in the midterm elections, that is, even years that are not Presidential election years. For South Carolina, 2006, 2010, 2014, and 2018 are all gubernatorial election years. Legally, the gubernatorial inauguration is always set for the first Wednesday following the second Tuesday in the January following an election. Thus, January 12, 2011 and January 14, 2015 are inaugural days.

If there is a tie, a joint session of the legislature shall cast ballots to choose the governor from the two highest vote getters.

Vacancies

See also: How gubernatorial vacancies are filled

Details of vacancy appointments are addressed under Article IV, Sections 6 and 7 and under Article IV, Section 11 and 12

If a Governor-elect dies or declines to take office, the Lieutenant Governor-elect shall take office as the Governor and serve the full term. If the Governor-elect is temporarily unable to take the oath, the Lieutenant Governor-elect takes office as Acting Governor only until the Governor-elect is able to take the oath.

If both the Governor-elect and the Lieutenant Governor-elect are both unable to take office, the gubernatorial powers devolve through the line of succession, subject to the dual-office holding provision of the Constitution.

The Lieutenant Governor is Acting Governor and has the powers to act in an emergency in the event of the temporary absence or disability of the Governor. The Governor declares her temporary or permanent disability to discharge the office in writing to the President Pro Tem of the Senate and the Speaker of the House. In the case of a temporary disability, she also declares her ability to resume the office in the same manner.

If a majority of the officers serving as Attorney General, the Secretary of State, the Comptroller General and the State Treasurer transmit, in writing, a declaration to the Senate President Pro Tem and the Speaker of the House, that the Governor is unfit the serve, the Lieutenant Governor shall immediately become the Acting Governor.

The Governor then may declare his declaration to the General Assembly that no such inability exists and will resume the office unless a majority of the members of the Assembly transmit their written declaration to the contrary to the President Pro Tem and the Senate. In that case, the Assembly has 21 days, excluding Sundays, to convene and vote on the issue, requiring a two-thirds vote to remove the Governor.

The Lieutenant Governor also becomes the Acting Governor in the event of the death, resignation, or removal of the Governor, and act as Governor during an impeachment until a judgment is rendered in the impeachment trial.

Duties

Under the South Carolina Constitution, the Governor is also the head of government, serving as the chief executive of the South Carolina executive branch. The governor is the ex officio Commander-in-Chief of the state National Guard when not called into federal use and of the state's unorganized militia (§ 13).

The governor's responsibilities include making yearly "State of the State" addresses to the South Carolina General Assembly, submitting an executive state budget and ensuring that state laws are enforced (§ 15).

Other duties and privileges of the office include:

• Commuting death sentences to life imprisonment (§ 14); all other clemency matters are regulated by statute

• Requiring written reports from the officers of any agency or institute in the executive branch on any aspect of their duties (§ 17)

• Periodically addressing the General Assembly on the state of the state and making recommendations concerning legislation (§ 18)

• Convening special session of the legislation and, when the legislature is five days without a quorum, adjourning them (§ 19)

• Residing at the official Governor's Residence, the South Carolina Executive Mansion, except in cases of epidemic, natural disaster, or war (§ 20)

• Vetoing bills and joint resolutions, subject to a two-thirds legislative override (§ 21)

Compensation

See also: Comparison of gubernatorial salaries

As of 2010, the Governor of South Carolina is paid $106,078 a year, the 38th highest gubernatorial salary in America.

Contact information

Office of the Governor
P.O. Box 12267
Columbia, SC 29211
Phone:803-734-2100
Fax:803-734-5167

See also

• South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley
• Lieutenant Governor of South Carolina
• Lieutenant Governor James Ken Ard
• South Carolina Attorney General
• South Carolina Secretary of State
• South Carolina gubernatorial election, 2010

External links

• Office of the South Carolina Governor