3 South Carolina lawmakers have resigned: What’s next?

COLUMBIA, S.C. (WSPA) – Three lawmakers resigned from the South Carolina State House Monday, and the State Election Commission believes it will be the first time three General Assembly seats will have a special election on the same day.

“We have not had three resignations from the General Assembly in one day before. So definitely raised some eyebrows. [It was a ] very interesting afternoon,” said John Michael Catalano, the Director of External Affairs for the State Election Commission.

Rep. RJ May was first to resign as he’s currently awaiting trial after being accused of sharing videos and photos of child sexual abuse material.

Then, Sen. Roger Nutt resigned after announcing that he was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s. His resignation will take effect in January 2026.

Rep. Bobby Cox resigned from his seat, expressing plans to run for Nutt’s soon-to-be vacant seat. His resignation will also take effect in January 2026.

“Those counties are already very busy dealing with their own special elections that are going on in other offices, as well as local elections that will be occurring around the same time as these primaries, will be occurring,” Catalano continued.

According to Cox, his resignation will save taxpayer dollars and ensure that counties are not without representation. The State Election Commission said if the resignation has occurred later, voters could have been without representation for weeks, or even months.

“The timeline works out so that these special elections will be completely conducted and certified in time for the winner of those elections to be serving at the start of the new session at the General Assembly in January,” said Catalano.

Catalano said it’s crucial for people to vote.

“Presidential elections and elections for governor — those are the ones that get the most attention,” he emphasized. “Those are the ones that we’re thinking about, and they come on a planned and scheduled day. Special elections continue to struggle because it’s just not at a regularly timed and scheduled date.”

The primary election for all three races is set for October 21, with early voting running from October 6-17. The special election to officially fill the seat will be held December 23, with early voting taking place from December 8-19.