Call to Action: Close Our Primaries

There’s a heavy focus on the necessity of closed primaries in South Carolina, however the rhetoric surrounding this subject is sometimes confusing and intentionally muddy.

Currently, two closed primary bills are being treated as interchangeable. They are not interchangeable.

Here are the key differences:

H.3310 is straightforward. If you want to vote in a Republican primary, you register as a Republican. It closes primaries the same way many other states do, without empowering party leadership or adding barriers for candidates.

H.3643 is something else entirely. It focuses less on voters and more on controlling candidates. It includes a requirement that Republicans must have voted in two of the last three primaries (or receive approval from party leadership), and it gives Drew McKissick and the SCGOP authority to override and open primaries by resolution.

That’s not a small difference.

What should also concern everyone paying attention is that Drew McKissick and the SCGOP have adopted a resolution threatening legal action against legislators who vote against their preferred bill.

Regardless of where you land, this should be concerning.

Closed primaries can be done cleanly.
H.3310 does that. H.3643 doesn’t.

For a comprehensive look at the differences in the bills, please read Dorchester GOP Chairman CJ Westfall’s Substack.

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If you want to contact your state Rep. or Senator, here’s a simple template:

Dear [Legislator’s Name],

I’m asking you to support H.3310, the clean closed-primary bill that closes primaries without giving party leadership added control over candidates or elections.

Please vote for H.3310.

[Your Name]
[County]

To find your legislators, click here.