SOS Ballot Congratulates SC Rep. Bedingfield on H.3305
Secret Ballot Constitutional Amendment Receives Second Reading in House
Washington, DC – An amendment to the South Carolina constitution that would guarantee workers’ rights to a secret ballot in a union organization election, received second reading in the South Carolina House of Representatives. SC State Rep. Bedingfield is the author of joint resolution H.3305, and the Chairman of Save Our Secret Ballot’s campaign in his state.
Rep. Bedingfield remarked that, “Today’s vote is an affirmation that the right to a secret ballot is of substantial interest to the State of South Carolina, and I urge the South Carolina Senate to pass this constitutional amendment this year. The legislation protects workplace privacy for South Carolina workers while providing certainty in our labor laws for South Carolina businesses. This is a great example of legislation that is pro-worker and pro-business.”
Upon hearing of the Amendment’s second reading and passage with 88 votes, SOS Ballot’s national Chairman Rep. Ernest Istook said, “The voters in South Carolina are lucky to have representatives like Eric Bedingfield working to ensure that their right to a secret ballot will be safe from potential meddling from Washington. As we have seen, there are Members of Congress who are willing to bargain away their constituents’ secret ballot rights when they are subjected to pressure from Big Labor. Fortunately, there are others like Bedingfield willing to stand up to special interests and fight for voters’ rights.”
The joint resolution must receive a third reading in the South Carolina House of Representatives before being sent to the South Carolina Senate for consideration. Amendments to the South Carolina constitution require a 2/3 vote of the House and Senate. If approved by both chambers, the amendment will appear on the 2010 General Election ballot and must be approved by a majority of the voters to amend the state constitution.
SOS Ballot is a 501c4 organization dedicated to educating the American public on the continued need for a secret ballot wherever state or federal law requires elections and seeks to protect voters from intimidation and harassment by empowering them to vote whether they wish to have the right to a secret ballot guaranteed in their state constitution. In addition to South Carolina, SOS Ballot campaigns are underway in Arkansas, Arizona, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Kansas, Missouri, Nevada, North Dakota, Oklahoma and South Dakota with additional state efforts pending. The Utah Legislature has already referred the measure to the 2010 general election ballot. The SOS Ballot effort has the strong support of Senators Kyl, Hatch, Coburn, Thune, Utah Governor Huntsman and many others.