Jennifer Bellamy, WLTX
Republicans and Democrats will be asking voters several advisory questions to help the party and lawmakers get a feel for where voters stand, without binding them to taking any particular action.
“It allows the legislators to know what the Democratic Primary voters think about a certain question,” said South Carolina Democratic Party Executive Director Conor Hurley.
Both parties are asking voters their thoughts on topics like medical marijuana, personhood, and income taxes. They will use your answers to help advance causes with elected officials.
“When we look at our platform again next year to make changes and review it, it gives us an idea of where people stand,” said Matt Moore, Chairman of the South Carolina Republican Party.
You will receive a different set of yes or no questions depending the political party of the primary you vote.
Republican primary voters will be asked to respond two questions.
Republican Question 1
Should Article I, Section 3 of the South Carolina Constitution be amended to include the following language?
The privileges and immunities of citizens of South Carolina and the United States shall not be abridged, so that no person shall be deprived of life without due process of law, nor shall any person be denied the equal protection of the laws. These rights should all extend to both born and pre-born persons beginning at conception.
Republican Question 2
Should South Carolina Law be amended to replace the state income tax imposed on individuals, estates, trusts, and others by reducing the rate of taxation by 1.4 percent each year until the state income tax rate for all brackets is zero percent?
Democrats will pose three questions to voters.
Democratic Question 1
Do you believe each state – not Congress – should decide for itself whether to allow online gaming and determine how to regulate online gaming in their state?
Democratic Question 2
The South Carolina Department of Transportation estimates more than $20 billion is required to fix South Carolina’s crumbling roads and bridges. Should gaming laws be modernized to fund the repairs instead of a tax increase?
Democratic Question 3
Should medical marijuana be legalized for use in cases of severe, chronic illnesses when documented by a physician?
Both sides say the advisory questions give them an opportunity to feel the pulse of the voters in their party.
“We rarely ever get a chance to ask poll questions to 300,000 people in a primary. Usually it’s 500 people in a poll. So these questions are certainly meant to give our elected officials guidance in where we take public policy,” said Moore.
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