Candidate Qualifications

No person may be popularly elected to and serve in any office in the State unless he is registered to vote in the geographical area represented by the office (S.C. Constitution, Article VI, Section 1).

A person convicted of a felony or an offense against the election laws is not qualified to file for or hold office, unless it has been fifteen years since the completion of the sentence for the crime or unless the person has been pardoned (S.C. Constitution, Article VI, Section 1).

Candidates must be qualified at the time of the election and not at the time of filing or nomination, unless otherwise provided for by law. Candidates for Senate and House must be a resident of the district at the time of filing.

Qualifications for municipal offices may vary by ordinance. Check with your municipal or county election commission for specific qualifications.

Some individuals may be restricted from running for public office by the federal Hatch Act. The Act applies to federal employees and others receiving federal funds and restricts their participation in campaigns for partisan offices. For detailed information regarding the Hatch Act, visit the website of the U.S. Office of Special Counsel.

MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS FOR STATE/FEDERAL OFFICES:

Office	Minimum Age	State Resident	US Citizen	Registered Voter	Term of Office	Consecutive Terms	Special Qualifications/Notes
President and Vice President	35	Not Applicable	Natural Born Citizen	Not Applicable	4 years	2	Must have lived in the United States for at least 14 years
US Senate	30	No time limit	9 years	Yes	6 years	Indefinite
US House of Representatives	25	No time limit	7 years	Yes	2 years	Indefinite
Governor	30	5 years	5 years	Yes	4 years	2
Lieutenant Governor	30	5 years	5 years	Yes	4 years	2
Secretary of State	18	No time limit	No time limit	Yes	4 years	Indefinite
State Treasurer	18	No time limit	No time limit	Yes	4 years	Indefinite
Attorney General	18	No time limit	No time limit	Yes	4 years	Indefinite
Comptroller General	18	No time limit	No time limit	Yes	4 years	Indefinite
State Superintendent of Education	18	No time limit	No time limit	Yes	4 years	Indefinite
Commissioner of Agriculture	18	No time limit	No time limit	Yes	4 years	Indefinite
SC Senate	25	No time limit	No time limit	Yes	4 years	Indefinite	Must be a legal resident of the district at the time of filing
SC House of Representatives	21	No time limit	No time limit	Yes	2 years	Indefinite	Must be a legal resident of the district at the time of filing
Solicitors	18	No time limit	No time limit	Yes	4 years	Indefinite	Must be legal resident of circuit 30 days prior to the election. Must be licensed to practice law by the S.C. Bar at the time of his election and throughout his term.

MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS FOR COUNTY OFFICES:

Office	Minimum Age	Residency Requirement	Registered Voter	Term of Office	Consecutive Terms	Special Qualifications/Notes
Council	18	Must be a resident of the county and/or district at the time of the election	Yes	4 or 2 years	Indefinite	Term is 2 years in Anderson, Edgefield, Orangeburg, & York Counties.
Treasurer	18	Must be a resident of the county at the time of the election	Yes	4 years	Indefinite	Treasurer is appointed in Greenwood & York Counties.
Auditor	18	Must be a resident of the county at the time of the election	Yes	4 years	Indefinite	Auditor is appointed in Greenwood & York Counties.
Clerk of Court	18	Must be a resident of the county at the time of the election	Yes	4 years	Indefinite
Coroner	21	Must be a resident of the county for at least 1 year immediately preceding the date of the election. Must be a U.S. citizen	Yes	4 years	Indefinite	*See S.C. Code of Laws Section 17-5-130 for additional qualifications.
Probate Judge	21	Must be a resident of the county at the time of the election	Yes	4 years	Indefinite	S.C. Code of Laws Section 14-23-1040 includes an education/experience requirement for Probate Judge. (Act 678 of 1990) However, the U.S. Department of Justice objected to the requirement, and the act was never precleared and is therefore unenforceable.
Sheriff	21	Must be a resident of the county for at least 1 year immediately preceding the date of the election. Must be a U.S. citizen.	Yes	4 years	Indefinite	See S.C. Code of Laws Section 23-11-110 for additional qualifications.
Register of Deeds	18	Must be a resident of the county at the time of the election	Yes	4 years	Indefinite
School Board	18	Must be a resident of the county and/or district at the time of the election	Yes	4, 3 or 2 years	Indefinite	Additional qualifications may exist for any particular school board or district. For specific lengths of terms and qualifications, contact the local school district or the S.C. School Board Association.
Soil & Water Conservation District Commissioner	18	Must be a resident of the county and/or district at the time of the election	Yes	4 years	Indefinite