Dorchester County Republican Party Executive Committee Resolutions

WHEREAS, the mission of the Dorchester County Republican Party is to act as the party that encourages and allows the broadest possible participation to all voters and to assure that the Republican Party is open and accessible to all Americans, and

WHEREAS, ensuring the integrity of our voting and election administration is critical and foundational to maintaining a civil society, decentralized from a federal government, as the Founders intended;

WHEREAS, elections are under assault by Democrats as they try to make drastic administrative changes in how elections are conducted in hundreds of the most populous counties and regions across the nation;

WHEREAS, Democrats are passing non-citizen voting laws in many jurisdictions, while the Dorchester County Republican Party has previously resolved to ensure only American citizens decide our elections;

WHEREAS, election officials are obligated to guarantee equitable access to polling places, and therefore ought not eliminate traditional polling places to move to “voting center” concepts that make polling place access more difficult in more conservative areas;

WHEREAS, election experts agree that the most resilient voting systems use paper ballots, either marked by hand or with an assistive device, that are verifiable by the voter before any means of tabulation; and

WHEREAS, South Carolinians expect accuracy and the timely determination of the results of elections;

THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, The Dorchester County Republican Party boldly opposes means of voting that do not have the proper safeguards in place and are exclusively electronic, and calls on every county in South Carolina to use as their default ballot systems fully-auditable, hand-marked, voter-verified paper ballots, to ensure that every voter and every vote is memorialized by a paper record;

RESOLVED, The Dorchester County Republican Party calls on the South Carolina Secretary of State and the South Carolina Elections Commission to implement new anti-counterfeit ballot printing, tracing and verification procedures, in order to facilitate a return to voting by paper ballot;

RESOLVED, The Dorchester County Republican Party calls on the South Carolina Republican Party to create an Election Integrity Committee to offer ideas and suggestions on election integrity, to report on election equipment and voting procedures and to communicate its findings on ballot-counting systems, chain of custody and other potential vulnerabilities to elected officials, candidates and voters;

RESOLVED, The Dorchester County Republican Party calls on the County of Dorchester and counties throughout the State to competently and efficiently implement voting procedures that do not require use of machines and to implement hand-counting procedures that are fully auditable;

RESOLVED, The Dorchester County Republican Party calls on officeholders in the County of Dorchester and counties throughout the State to defend the traditional practice of geographically-defined precinct polling places, as a means of ensure an accurate and timely count of paper ballots by geographic unit;

RESOLVED, The Dorchester County Republican Party calls on our Legislature of the State of South Carolina, the County of Dorchester, and the municipal governments within our County to pass laws and ordinances that allow for transparent, hand-counting procedures that are well-managed, timely and fully observable, by election officials and by the public, to ensure the integrity of audits and recounts;

RESOLVED, The Dorchester County Republican Party stands firmly behind voter identification laws and calls on our Legislature to further strengthen laws that ensure that all prospective voters are determined to be qualified voters, regardless of the method of their casting or delivering their ballots;

RESOLVED, The Dorchester County Republican Party opposes any future effort of elected or appointed officials to unreasonably liberalize early voting, if such might result in ballot-counting procedures that are not transparent or cannot be completed expeditiously after the close of voting on Election Day;

RESOLVED, The Dorchester County Republican Party calls for strict enforcement of a ban on temporary voting places, drop boxes or other voting places that are not bound to a designated precinct; and

RESOLVED, The Dorchester County Republican Party calls for a return to our traditional voting methods that require auditable paper ballots; “same-day” voting on Election Day for all but those who are properly qualified for an absentee ballot, especially our overseas military; and a limitation of the election franchise to those who can provide their verifiable personal identification, in order to enhance voter confidence and ensure that our elections are a fair and open process in which all eligible voters may participate.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED those copies of this resolution be transmitted to each member of the Dorchester County Legislative Delegation, the South Carolina General Assembly, the Governor of South Carolina, the South Carolina Republican Party, the Summerville Journal Scene and the Charleston Post and Courier.

Approved by the Dorchester Republican Party Executive Committee

Steven Wright, Chairman,

Dorchester County Republican Party 

WHEREAS, the Dorchester County Republican Party is made up of citizens who share values of the right to life, religious liberty, private property, personal responsibility, traditional values, limited constitutional government, state sovereignty, low taxes, the right to bear arms, secure borders, strong national defense, and wish to choose candidates who reflect those values; and

WHEREAS, the current South Carolina election laws permit any citizen to vote in the primary election of any political party regardless of affiliation; and

WHEREAS, at the June 2023, SCGOP quarterly meeting, Chairman Drew McKissick presented to the 46 SC County State Executive Committeemen that the topic of “closed primaries” is on the SCGOP's legislative agenda for the upcoming SC Statehouse Session; and 

WHEREAS, the Dorchester County Republican Party supports allowing voters to designate a political party on their voter registration application; and

WHEREAS, the Dorchester County Republican Party supports primaries that are open only to registered voters as determined by that political party; and

WHEREAS, the SCGOP passed a resolution in January, 2015 in support of Closed Primaries, and eight (8) years later, in 2023, South Carolina still has Open Primaries, 

THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that the Dorchester County Republican Party Executive Committee calls on Republican State Legislators to file and pass legislation that provides for the registration of voters by the political party of their choice; and for only those voters to participate in the primary elections of the party for which they are registered; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the Dorchester County Republican Party Executive Committee calls on the South Carolina General Assembly to prioritize and pass legislation for Closed Primaries next year; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that upon adoption of this resolution the Dorchester County Republican Party shall take immediate action to distribute copies of this resolution to all members of the South Carolina General Assembly and the SCGOP State Executive Committee. 

Approved by the Dorchester Republican Party Executive Committee

Steven Wright, Chairman,

Dorchester County Republican Party 

WHEREAS, the Dorchester County Republican Party Platform is based on the fundamental principles of less government and the acceptance of greater personal responsibility, and

WHEREAS, these principles encourage and embody common sense, promote the welfare of all citizens, and provide the most effective means of addressing issues which come before elected officials, and

WHEREAS, one hundred years ago, the block at North Main and highway 78 was purchased by the County to build a hospital to promote public health and welfare, and

WHEREAS, the County memorial to our military heroes and veterans was built on this property to remind us of their sacrifices to protect our peace and prosperity, and

WHEREAS, Dorchester County Council has decided behind closed doors to sell this former hospital and land to a developer who plans to demolish this historic property and remove the military memorial, and

WHEREAS, quality of Life should be the objective of economic growth. This is achieved by managing growth and reducing taxpayer burdens caused by growth, and

WHEREAS, the proposed development of the hospital block requires high density commercial and residential structures and will increase traffic congestion on the already congested North Main artery and thereby reduce our quality of life, and

WHEREAS, our elected officials must make every effort to determine the desires of their constituents with open meetings to solicit their will and vote accordingly, and

WHEREAS, several Dorchester County Council members have refused to answer questions and rejected our citizen petitions to save the well-maintained existing historic structure and adapt it to alternative uses,

THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that the Dorchester County Republican Party (DCRP) has chosen to advocate on behalf of all citizens denied the opportunity to speak in opposition to the destruction of the current hospital block and military memorial and to urge the County Council to reconsider its plans to replace them with a high density commercial and residential complex just to raise more taxes; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the DCRP requests Dorchester County cease its efforts to sell off the property; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that copies of this resolution be transmitted to each member of the Dorchester County Legislative Delegation, the Dorchester County Council, Summerville Town Council and to the South Carolina General Assembly, the Governor of South Carolina, the South Carolina Republican Party, the Summerville Journal Scene and the Charleston Post and Courier.

Approved by the Dorchester Republican Party Executive Committee

Steven Wright, Chairman,

Dorchester County Republican Party 

WHEREAS, the SC Freedom Caucus has demonstrated they will advocate on the House floor, in the SC House Republican Caucus, and in the public square for basic, conservative, common-sense legislation based on the SC Republican Party Platform, along with other SC House Republicans, and

WHEREAS, the SC House Republican Caucus recently developed new membership rules and its newly adopted Rule 16, which prohibits members from engaging in "campaign activity of any kind against any other Caucus member in good standing," has caused significant concerns among members of the DCRP Executive Committee, and

WHEREAS, the SC House Republican Caucus has insisted that Caucus members must not only sign a statement that they have received and understand the rule but adhere, abide, and comply with the rules, and a majority of SC Freedom Caucus members have not agreed to the set of rules because of Rule 16, and

WHEREAS, the DCRP Executive Committee supports the SC Freedom Caucus for their efforts to bring free speech and transparency to the SC House, commends and encourages the loyalty of the Freedom Caucus to our Republic as founded, the Constitution, the Republican platform, conservative ideology, free market principles, and to their constituents,

THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that the DCRP Executive Committee ardently asks members of the SC House Republican Caucus to amend their rules by removing the second sentence in Rule 16, which states “No member of the Caucus shall engage in campaign activities of any kind against any other Caucus member in good standing,” and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the DCRP Executive Committee encourages leadership from the SC House Republican Caucus and the SC Freedom Caucus to negotiate in good faith a new rules package that will allow every Republican in the State House to join the SC House Republican Caucus to promote the values and principles of the SC Republican platform and achieve our shared conservative agenda, and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the DCRP Executive Committee applauds any actions, comments, leadership, and advocacy by our Dorchester County Legislative Delegation that will lead to the passage of the above-mentioned priorities, and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the DCRP Executive Committee will continue to monitor the votes and performance of our legislators to ensure passage of our shared conservative priorities as outlined in the South Carolina Republican Party Platform, and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that copies of this resolution are transmitted to each member of the South Carolina General Assembly, the Governor of South Carolina, all members of the SCGOP Executive Committee, and the major state newspapers.

Approved by the Dorchester Republican Party Executive Committee

Steven Wright, Chairman,

Dorchester County Republican Party 

WHEREAS, ESG scores are being used by banks, investment, and accounting firms, and credit rating agencies to grade companies and individuals on how well they have adopted liberal “woke” values or policies, such as reducing the effects of climate change, increasing diversity on their governing boards, and supporting social justice causes, and

WHEREAS, the idea behind ESG is to push companies to embrace ‘net zero ’investment strategies that would harm the coal, oil, and natural gas industries, while increasing investments in Chinese companies that subvert national interests and damage South Carolina’s manufacturing base, and job market, and

WHEREAS, under the ESG scoring system, companies will be pushed away from their fiduciary responsibilities for the best return on investments and toward satisfying government social and political demands, and

WHEREAS, the Biden administration has declared its support for ESG to cut off capital to the fossil fuel industry which has successfully driven up gas prices, and

WHEREAS, South Carolina Republican Treasurer Curtis Loftis joined 22 other state financial officers from across the U.S. in a letter to the federal Security and Exchange Commission (SEC) highlighting eight concerns with its proposed ESG disclosure rule, and

WHEREAS, the S.C. Republican Attorney General Alan Wilson sent letters to the Biden administration, stating his grave concerns over ESG investment practices and seriously questioning whether these investment practices are consistent with fiduciary obligations under federal and state law, and

WHEREAS, the South Carolina (SC) House Republican Caucus 2023-2024 Agenda for SC Success, identifies as one of their pillars “to Remove Liberal Agendas from Business and Industry. No ESG,” and

WHEREAS, the ESG scoring system, supported by Business and Industry is so dangerous to not only our free economy and economic security but to OUR freedom of choice as well,

THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that the Dorchester County Republican Party (DCRP) convention believes in and supports American innovation and self-governance and rejects all that seek to supplant “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness” with “Environmental, Social, and Corporate Governance (ESG),” as the governing principle of the United States, and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the Dorchester County Republican Party (DCRP) convention requests the state of South Carolina to take action to end its funding and association with this anti-American business model, and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that copies of this resolution be transmitted to each member of the South Carolina General Assembly, the Governor of South Carolina, the South Carolina Treasurer, the SCGOP, and the major state newspapers.

Approved by the Dorchester County Republican Party (DCRP) Convention
David Chinnis, Chairman,

2023 Dorchester County Republican Party (DCRP) Convention

WHEREAS, the Department of Justice defines a hate crime as a crime committed against a person based upon their specific characteristics, such as race, gender, or sexual orientation, and

WHEREAS, data suggests that Hate Crime legislation does not reduce or deter hate crimes, and

WHEREAS, we believe that Hate Crime legislation is unconstitutional and redundant, motivated by the media and politics, and rarely ever prosecuted, and

WHEREAS, hate crimes require intent and determining a Criminal Defendant’s State of Mind in a hate crime case seems almost impossible, and

WHEREAS, hate crimes legislation can violate the First Amendment, Double Jeopardy, Equal Protection Rights, and

WHEREAS, hate crimes laws not only punish acts but also punish beliefs or opinions. Beliefs and opinions are protected by the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. The First Amendment literally protects free speech and opinion, and

WHEREAS, hate crimes laws also violate the 14th Amendment’s Equal Protection Rights. Hate Crime law punishes some people while valuing other people more under the law, and

WHEREAS, hate crimes laws exacerbate divisions in society and are unconstitutional. Hate crime laws cause reverse discrimination and result in greater charges against a white person who assaults a black man over a black man who assaults a white man. Our criminal justice system is meant to be color-blind,

THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that the Dorchester County Republican Party (DCRP) convention delegates firmly believe in U.S. and S.C. Constitution’s Equal Protection Rights and Declaration of Rights, respectively, and reject all attempts by the South Carolina General Assembly to pass a feel-good Hate Crimes law to be imposed on the Citizens of our state,

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the Dorchester County Republican Party (DCRP) convention delegates request the state of South Carolina to adhere to our Constitutions and take action to end its pursuit of a Hate Crimes bill,

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that copies of this resolution be transmitted to each member of the South Carolina General Assembly, the Governor of South Carolina, the SCGOP, and the major state newspapers.

Approved by the Dorchester County Republican Party (DCRP) Convention

David Chinnis, Chairman,

2023 Dorchester County Republican Party (DCRP) Convention