The Democratic block was largely maintained by the disenfranchisement of most black voters from 1865 to the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

The Republican Party became competitive in the 1960 presidential election when Richard Nixon lost the state to John F. Kennedy by just two percentage points.

However, in state-wide and local elections, conservative Democrats still won many races until the end of the 20th century.

The South Carolina Constitution provides for the separate election of eight executive officers, making a limited cabinet.

This is a large number of elective offices compared to most states, which generally give the governor the executive power to appoint members of the cabinet.

The separately elected positions allow for the possibility of multiple parties to be represented in the executive branch.

In most cases, persons who fill cabinet-level positions are recommended by the governor and appointed by the Senate.

The Family Court deals with all matters of domestic and family relationships, as well as generally maintaining exclusive jurisdiction over cases involving minors under the age of seventeen, excepting traffic and game law violations.

South Carolina's 46 counties are divided into 16 judicial circuits, and there are currently 46 judges.

The volume of amendments makes South Carolina's constitution one of the longest in the nation.

According to historian Tom Downey, "the movement for incorporation initiated with a desire to implant order on unruly elements...which growing villages seemed to attract all too frequently.

"[5] The initial charters gave towns regulatory power which they used to "appoint constables, levy fines, and enact ordinances.

"[5] But, town councils were largely unable to pay their expenses with funds raised by just their fine revenue.

In the late 1830s, the General Assembly started allowing select towns to tax property within their corporate limits.

[6] This was changed under the 1895 Constitution, which made no provision for local government and effectively reduced counties to creatures of the state.

[7] Reynolds v. Sims required reapportionment according to the principle of "one man, one vote", which resulted in legislative districts crossing county lines.

[9] To expand their borders, cities in South Carolina generally have three options when annexing contiguous land.

[13] This option previously required that 25% of freeholders file the petition for an election, but that was found to be a violation of the Equal Protection Clause.

This yielded revenue of approximately $2 billion per year deposited into the state's coffers.

But, in 2000 the legislature banned video poker, requiring machines to be shut off and removed from the state by July 8.

[18][19] Property tax is administered and collected by local governments with assistance from the South Carolina Department of Revenue.

The tax is paid by individuals, corporations and partnerships owning property within the state.