South Carolina 2025-2026 Regular Session Status: In Committee

H 4707 — Constitutional referendum

Last action — Scrivener's error corrected

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  1. ✓
    Introduced
  2. 2
    In Committee
  3. 3
    Passed House
  4. 4
    Passed Senate
  5. 5
    To Executive
  6. 6
    Enacted

This bill is in committee in the House. Introduced December 16, 2025. It must pass committee before a floor vote.

Next likely step: a committee vote, then a floor vote in the House.

Prognosis

Stalled 20% · moderate confidence

Where this bill stands today.

Odds of enactment

Low

How often bills like it became law.

  • In Committee

    Current position in the legislative process.

  • 4 sponsors

    4 primary, 0 co-sponsors signed on.

Prognosis reads this bill's own signals — stage, sponsorship breadth, committee status, recorded votes and cross-state momentum. Odds come from a model trained on which bills have become law.

Summary

A JOINT RESOLUTION PROPOSING AN AMENDMENT TO SECTION 7, ARTICLE III OF THE CONSTITUTION OF SOUTH CAROLINA, RELATING TO QUALIFICATIONS OF MEMBERS OF THE SENATE AND THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, SO AS TO REQUIRE THAT A CANDIDATE BE A LEGAL RESIDENT OF THIS STATE FOR AT LEAST TEN YEARS AND A LEGAL RESIDENT OF THE DISTRICT IN WHICH HE IS A CANDIDATE FOR AT LEAST TWO YEARS AT THE TIME HE FILES FOR OFFICE; AND BY PROPOSING AN AMENDMENT TO ARTICLE VI OF THE CONSTITUTION OF SOUTH CAROLINA BY ADDING SECTION 10 SO AS TO REQUIRE THAT ANY CANDIDATE FOR GOVERNOR, LIEUTENANT GOVERNOR, SECRETARY OF STATE, ATTORNEY GENERAL, TREASURER, SUPERINTENDENT OF EDUCATION, COMPTROLLER GENERAL, AND COMMISSIONER OF AGRICULTURE MUST BE A LEGAL RESIDENT OF THIS STATE FOR AT LEAST TEN YEARS NEXT PRECEDING THE DAY OF ELECTION.

Bill Text

What changed in the latest version

84 added · 19 removed

Plain-language change summary

The proposed amendments to Bill H 4707 now require that candidates for the South Carolina legislature must have been legal residents of the state for at least ten years and residents of their district for two years before running for office. Additionally, the amendments stipulate the same ten-year residency requirement for candidates for various state offices, including Governor and Attorney General. These changes are significant because they aim to ensure that elected officials have deep ties to the community they represent, potentially leading to greater accountability and understanding of local issues.

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2025-2026 Bill 4707 Text of Previous Version (Jan.
2025-2026 Bill 4707 Text of Previous Version (Dec.
30, 2026) - South Carolina Legislature Online South Carolina General Assembly126th Session, 2025-2026(Text matches printed bills.
17, 2025) - South Carolina Legislature Online South Carolina General Assembly126th Session, 2025-2026Bill 4707Indicates Matter StrickenIndicates New Matter(Text matches printed bills.
Document has been reformatted to meet World Wide Web specifications.) A joint Resolution PROPOSING AN AMENDMENT TO SECTION 7, ARTICLE III OF THE CONSTITUTION OF SOUTH CAROLINA, RELATING TO QUALIFICATIONS OF MEMBERS OF the SENATE AND the HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, SO AS TO REQUIRE THAT A CANDIDATE BE A LEGAL RESIDENT OF THIS STATE FOR AT LEAST TEN YEARS AND A LEGAL RESIDENT OF THE DISTRICT IN WHICH HE IS A CANDIDATE FOR AT LEAST two YEARS AT THE TIME HE FILES FOR OFFICE;
Document has been reformatted to meet World Wide Web specifications.)                 A joint Resolution   PROPOSING AN AMENDMENT TO SECTION 7, ARTICLE III OF THE CONSTITUTION OF SOUTH CAROLINA, RELATING TO QUALIFICATIONS OF MEMBERS OF the SENATE AND the HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, SO AS TO REQUIRE THAT CANDIDATES BE A LEGAL RESIDENT OF THIS STATE FOR AT LEAST TEN YEARS AND A LEGAL RESIDENT OF THE DISTRICT IN WHICH HE IS A CANDIDATE FOR AT LEAST two YEARS AT THE TIME HE FILES FOR OFFICE;
and by proposing an amendment to article vi of the CONSTITUTION of south carolina by adding section 10 so as to require that any candidate for Governor, Lieutenant Governor, Secretary of State, Attorney General, Treasurer, Superintendent of Education, Comptroller General, and CommissionER of Agriculture must be a legal resident of this State for at least ten years next preceding the day of election.
and by proposing an amendment to article vi of the CONSTITUTION of south carolina by adding section 10 so as to require that any candidate for Governor, Lieutenant Governor, Secretary of State, Attorney General, Treasurer, Superintendent of Education, Comptroller General, and Commission of Agriculture must be a legal resident of this State for at least ten years next preceding the day of election.
Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the State of South Carolina:
  Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the State of South Carolina:
SECTION 1.   It is proposed that Section 7, Article III of the Constitution of this State be amended to read:
  SECTION 1.  It is proposed that Section 7, Article III of the Constitution of this State be amended to read:
   Section 7.
      Section 7.
SECTION 2.   The proposed amendment must be submitted to the qualified electors at the next general election for representatives.
  SECTION 2.  The proposed amendment must be submitted to the qualified electors at the next general election for representatives.
Ballots must be provided at the various voting precincts with the following words printed or written on the ballot:
 Ballots must be provided at the various voting precincts with the following words printed or written on the ballot:
   "Must Section 7, Article III of the Constitution of this State, relating to qualifications of members of the Senate and the House of Representatives, be amended so as to require that candidates be a legal resident of this State for at least ten years and a legal resident of the district in which he is a candidate for at least two years at the time he files for office? Yes      o No      o Those voting in favor of the question shall deposit a ballot with a check or cross mark in the square after the word 'Yes', and those voting against the question shall deposit a ballot with a check or cross mark in the square after the word 'No'." SECTION 3.   It is proposed that Article VI of the Constitution of this State be amended by adding:
      "Must Section 7, Article III of the Constitution of this State, relating to qualifications of members of the Senate and the House of Representatives, be amended so as to require that candidates be a legal resident of this State for at least ten years and a legal resident of the district in which he is a candidate for at least two years at the time he files for office?   Yes     o No      o Those voting in favor of the question shall deposit a ballot with a check or cross mark in the square after the word 'Yes', and those voting against the question shall deposit a ballot with a check or cross mark in the square after the word 'No'."   SECTION 3.  It is proposed that Article VI of the Constitution of this State be amended by adding:
   Section 10.
      Section 10.
SECTION 4.   The proposed amendment must be submitted to the qualified electors at the next general election for representatives.
  SECTION 4.  The proposed amendment must be submitted to the qualified electors at the next general election for representatives.
Ballots must be provided at the various voting precincts with the following words printed or written on the ballot:
 Ballots must be provided at the various voting precincts with the following words printed or written on the ballot:
   "Must Article VI of the Constitution of this State, be amended so as to require that any candidate for Governor, Lieutenant Governor, Secretary of State, Attorney General, Treasurer, Superintendent of Education, Comptroller General, and Commission of Agriculture must be a legal resident of this State for at least ten years next preceding the day of election? Yes      o No      o Those voting in favor of the question shall deposit a ballot with a check or cross mark in the square after the word 'Yes', and those voting against the question shall deposit a ballot with a check or cross mark in the square after the word 'No'." ----XX---- This web page was last updated on January 30, 2026 at 02:06 PM
      "Must Article VI of the Constitution of this State, be amended so as to require that any candidate for Governor, Lieutenant Governor, Secretary of State, Attorney General, Treasurer, Superintendent of Education, Comptroller General, and Commission of Agriculture must be a legal resident of this State for at least ten years next preceding the day of election?   Yes     o No      o Those voting in favor of the question shall deposit a ballot with a check or cross mark in the square after the word 'Yes', and those voting against the question shall deposit a ballot with a check or cross mark in the square after the word 'No'." ----XX---- This web page was last updated on December 17, 2025 at 01:19 PM
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Action History

  1. Scrivener's error corrected

  2. Referred to Committee on Judiciary

  3. Introduced and read first time

  4. Referred to Committee on Judiciary

  5. Prefiled

Sponsors

Sponsorship breakdown

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4 sponsors · 0 co-sponsors · 166 not signed on

Sponsors (4)

Co-sponsors (0)

None.

Not signed on (166)

166 members have not signed on to this bill.

Show all 166 →

"Not signed on" means a member has not sponsored or co-sponsored this bill — it does not imply opposition. Members flagged Voted No have a recorded No vote on this bill.

Whip count is in markup. Polling the chamber and every recorded vote this session. Only the first open is slow. It’s instant for you after this. Calling the roll · Tallying · Engrossing

Subjects

elections
Cross-referencing the record. Reading this bill against every other bill in the corpus by meaning, not keywords. Only the first open is slow. It’s instant for you after this. Matching · Ranking · Engrossing

Frequently asked questions

What does H 4707 do?
A JOINT RESOLUTION PROPOSING AN AMENDMENT TO SECTION 7, ARTICLE III OF THE CONSTITUTION OF SOUTH CAROLINA, RELATING TO QUALIFICATIONS OF MEMBERS OF THE SENATE AND THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, SO AS TO REQUIRE THAT A CANDIDATE BE A LEGAL RESIDENT OF THIS STATE FOR AT LEAST TEN YEARS AND A LEGAL RESIDENT OF THE DISTRICT IN WHICH HE IS A CANDIDATE FOR AT LEAST TWO YEARS AT THE TIME HE FILES FOR OFFICE; AND BY PROPOSING AN AMENDMENT TO ARTICLE VI OF THE CONSTITUTION OF SOUTH CAROLINA BY ADDING SECTION 10 SO AS TO REQUIRE THAT ANY CANDIDATE FOR GOVERNOR, LIEUTENANT GOVERNOR, SECRETARY OF STATE, ATTORNEY GENERAL, TREASURER, SUPERINTENDENT OF EDUCATION, COMPTROLLER GENERAL, AND COMMISSIONER OF AGRICULTURE MUST BE A LEGAL RESIDENT OF THIS STATE FOR AT LEAST TEN YEARS NEXT PRECEDING THE DAY OF ELECTION.
Who sponsors H 4707?
H 4707 is sponsored by Representative Heath Sessions, Representative Cody T. Mitchell, Representative Thomas E. "Tommy" Pope, and Representative Melissa Lackey Oremus.
What is the current status of H 4707?
This bill is in committee in the House. Introduced December 16, 2025. It must pass committee before a floor vote.
Where can I track H 4707?
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