Freedom Index

A Legislative Scorecard Based on the Principles of the U.S. Constitution

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Legislative Scorecard Based on the U.S. Constitution

The Legislative Scorecard is a nationwide educational program of The John Birch Society. Its purpose is to create an informed electorate on how state legislators are voting. The Scorecard is nonpartisan; it does not promote any candidate or political party. Bills are selected for their constitutional implications and cost to the taxpayers.

Please share this Scorecard in your district to inform people about your legislator's record on key votes.
U.S. Constitution, Amendment I --- 11 C.F.R. §114(4)(c)(4) --- 616 F.2d 45 (2d Cir. 1980)

Legislative Scorecard

Based on the U.S. Constitution

SC Scorecard 2023

The Legislative Scorecard is a nationwide educational program of The John Birch Society. Its purpose is to create an informed electorate on how state legislators are voting. The Scorecard is nonpartisan; it does not promote any candidate or political party. Bills are selected for their constitutional implications and cost to the taxpayers.

Please share this Scorecard in your district to inform people about your legislator's record on key votes.
U.S. Constitution, Amendment I --- 11 C.F.R. §114(4)(c)(4) --- 616 F.2d 45 (2d Cir. 1980)

The following scorecard lists several key votes in the South Carolina General Assembly in 2023 and ranks state representatives and senators based on their fidelity to (U.S.) constitutional and limited-government principles.

This is our second state-level Scorecard; the selected votes may not be reflective of legislators’ overall records. Their cumulative scores will change as we add more votes. Please check regularly for updates.

Senate
House

House

1. Constitutional Carry

Good Vote: Yes

H3594 Constitutional Carry (Passed 87 to 26 on 2/23/2023). Enacts the South Carolina Constitutional Carry/Second Amendment Preservation Act of 2023.

2. Educational Scholarship Trust Fund

Good Vote: No

S39 Educational Scholarship Trust Fund (Passed 74 to 36 on 4/27/2023). Establishes an educational scholarship initiative aimed at offering financial assistance to eligible elementary and secondary students to cover approved educational costs.

3. Infrastructure

Good Vote: No

H3604 Infrastructure (Passed 100 to 12 on 3/15/2023). Allocates funds received by South Carolina from the ARPA bill to a corporate welfare project, specifically earmarking $1.2 billion for the construction of a site in Columbia to benefit Volkswagen.

4. Hate Crimes

Good Vote: No

H3014 Hate Crimes (Passed 84 to 31 on 3/8/2023). Provides for an enhanced penalty for certain violent crimes committed against a victim who was intentionally targeted due to the offender’s belief or perceptions about the victim.

5. Housing Tax Credit

Good Vote: No

SJR739 Housing Tax Credit (Passed 84 to 26 on 5/10/2023). Grants a one-time approval for South Carolina Housing Tax Credits, not to exceed $29,806,029.

6. Alternative Fuel Tax Credit

Good Vote: No

H3824 Alternative Fuel Tax Credit (Passed 92 to 16 on 5/10/2023). Amends the alternative fuel property income tax credit.

Legislator Scores
[ + ] Pro-liberty Vote[ - ] Anti-liberty Vote[ . ] Did not Vote
Name Party District Score 123456
Terry Alexander D HD-059 0% ...---
Carl L. Anderson D HD-103 17% -+----
Lucas Atkinson D HD-057 20% +.----
William H. Bailey R HD-104 33% +---+-
Nathan Ballentine R HD-071 33% +---+-
Justin T. Bamberg D HD-090 NA .+.-..
Bruce W. Bannister R HD-024 20% +----.
Heather Bauer D HD-075 17% -+----
Thomas Beach R HD-010 75% +-++..
Beth E. Bernstein D HD-078 20% .+----
Bart T. Blackwell R HD-081 17% +-----
Jeffrey A. "Jeff" Bradley R HD-123 17% +-----
Gary Brewer R HD-114 20% +-.---
Thomas C. "Case" Brittain, Jr. R HD-107 17% +-----
James Mikell "Mike" Burns R HD-017 83% +-++++
Joseph M. "Joe" Bustos R HD-112 33% +---+-
Paula Rawl Calhoon R HD-087 60% +--++.
Jerry T. Carter R HD-003 33% ++----
Micajah P. "Micah" Caskey, IV R HD-089 25% +.-.--
Don Chapman R HD-008 40% +.-+--
William M. "Bill" Chumley R HD-035 80% +-.+++
William "Bill" Clyburn D HD-082 17% -+----
Gilda Cobb-Hunter D HD-095 25% -+-.-.
Neal A. Collins R HD-005 40% ++.---
Benjamin Connell R HD-052 20% +-.---
Bobby J. Cox R HD-021 25% +---..
Brandon Cox R HD-092 20% +----.
Heather Ammons Crawford R HD-068 25% +---..
April Cromer R HD-006 83% +-++++
Sylleste H. Davis R HD-100 17% +-----
Chandra E. Dillard D HD-023 17% -+----
Jason Elliott R HD-022 17% +-----
Shannon S. Erickson R HD-124 17% +-----
R. Raye Felder R HD-026 50% ++-+--
Cally R. "Cal" Forrest R HD-039 33% +--+--
Craig A. Gagnon R HD-011 33% +--+--
Kambrell H. Garvin D HD-077 20% -+.---
Gil Gatch R HD-094 0% ..----
Daniel Gibson R HD-012 33% +--+--
Leon D. "Doug" Gilliam R HD-042 33% +--+--
Wendell G. Gilliard D HD-111 25% -+--..
Val Guest R HD-106 17% +-----
Brandon Guffey R HD-048 33% +--+--
Patrick B. Haddon R HD-019 80% +-.+++
Bill Hager R HD-122 17% +-----
Kevin Hardee R HD-105 33% +---+-
Rob Harris R HD-036 100% +++++.
Christopher R. "Chris" Hart D HD-073 NA ..--..
Tom Hartnett R HD-110 17% +-----
Jackie E. "Coach" Hayes D HD-055 33% ++----
Rosalyn D. Henderson-Myers D HD-031 20% -+-.--
Patricia Moore "Pat" Henegan D HD-054 0% -.-.--
William G. "Bill" Herbkersman R HD-118 NA ..--..
Lee Hewitt R HD-108 17% +-----
David R. Hiott R HD-004 33% +--+--
William M. "Bill" Hixon R HD-083 17% +-----
Lonnie Hosey D HD-091 17% -+----
Leon Howard D HD-076 0% -.--.-
Max T. Hyde, Jr. R HD-032 17% +-----
Joseph H. Jefferson, Jr. D HD-102 17% -+----
Jermaine L. Johnson, Sr. D HD-070 20% -+--.-
Jeffrey E. "Jeff" Johnson R HD-058 20% +--.--
Stewart O. Jones R HD-014 83% +-++++
Wendell Jones D HD-025 17% -+----
Wallace H. "Jay" Jordan, Jr. R HD-063 33% +---+-
Jay Kilmartin R HD-085 83% +-++++
John Richard C. King D HD-049 17% -+----
Roger K. Kirby D HD-101 17% -+----
Kathy Landing R HD-080 17% +-----
Brian Lawson R HD-030 33% +--+--
Matthew Leber R HD-116 20% +--.--
Thomas R. "Randy" Ligon R HD-043 17% +-----
Steven Wayne Long R HD-037 67% +--+++
Phillip D. Lowe R HD-060 33% +---+-
Josiah Magnuson R HD-038 83% +-++++
Robert J. "RJ" May, III R HD-088 83% +-++++
Donald R. "Ryan" McCabe, Jr. R HD-096 100% ++++++
John R. McCravy, III R HD-013 33% +--+--
Annie E. McDaniel D HD-041 17% -+----
Timothy A. "Tim" McGinnis R HD-056 33% +---+-
Cody Mitchell R HD-065 17% +-----
Travis A. Moore R HD-033 17% +-----
JA Moore D HD-015 33% .+.-.-
T. Alan Morgan R HD-018 80% +-.+++
Adam M. Morgan R HD-020 83% +-++++
Dennis C. Moss R HD-029 33% +--+--
Chris Murphy R HD-098 17% +-----
Mike Neese R HD-044 33% +.--..
Wm. Weston J. Newton R HD-120 17% +-----
Brandon Newton R HD-045 17% +-----
Roger A. Nutt R HD-034 33% +--+--
David O'Neal R HD-066 50% +--++-
Melissa Lackey Oremus R HD-084 67% +--+++
Russell L. Ott D HD-093 33% ++----
Jordan Pace R HD-117 100% +.++++
Fawn Pedalino R HD-064 20% +----.
Marvin R. Pendarvis D HD-113 25% .+--.-
Thomas E. "Tommy" Pope R HD-047 17% +-----
Michael F. Rivers, Sr. D HD-121 17% -+----
Robby Robbins R HD-097 17% +-----
Seth Rose D HD-072 17% -+----
J. Todd Rutherford D HD-074 17% -+----
William E. "Bill" Sandifer, III R HD-002 17% +-----
Carla Schuessler R HD-061 17% +-----
Heath Sessions R HD-046 25% +-.-.-
G. Murrell Smith, Jr. R HD-067 17% +-----
Marvin "Mark" Smith R HD-099 17% +-----
Tiffany Spann-Wilder D HD-109 NA ......
Leonidas E. "Leon" Stavrinakis D HD-119 17% -+----
Bill Taylor R HD-086 0% .-----
Anne J. Thayer R HD-009 25% +--.-.
Ivory Torrey Thigpen D HD-079 20% .+----
Ashley B. Trantham R HD-028 60% +-.-++
David Vaughan R HD-027 17% +-----
J. David Weeks D HD-051 17% -+----
John Taliaferro "Jay" West, IV R HD-007 0% ..----
Elizabeth "Spencer" Wetmore D HD-115 17% -+----
William W. "Will" Wheeler, III D HD-050 17% -+----
Joe White R HD-040 83% +-++++
William R. "Bill" Whitmire R HD-001 20% +--.--
Robert Q. Williams D HD-062 17% -+----
Mark N. Willis R HD-016 20% +.----
Chris Wooten R HD-069 17% +-----
Richard L. "Richie" Yow R HD-053 NA +.-...

Average Constitutional Score by Party

Party Score
Democrat 18.2%
Republican 36.1%