H2 - Segment 3 - Mon Aug 18 - SC House District 17 Mike Burns

H2 - Segment 3 - Mon Aug 18 - SC House District 17 Mike Burns Well, everybody talks about, closing the primaries, but how many people are actually doing something about it? Joining us right now is, a state representative from the from the Seventeenth District, Mike Burns. Representative Burns, welcome to the program. Hope you're doing well. I am doing well, and I appreciate getting the chance to, talk on your show a little bit about a couple of bills. I hope that, we'll be getting some hearings on them when we go back in January. I filed for many years, I filed the, closed the primary bill, I think, thirteen years now. 13 bill Murphy, thirty three ten. And then I've also filed multiple times. This year's version is, house bill thirty three eleven, which would, bring in watermark paper ballots. So That is and well, let's get to that in just a second. But the the thirteen years you've been filing the these bills, has it surprised you how much pushback you've gotten against closing the primaries here in South Carolina? I'm shocked. There's a, Republican platform issue written in the documents for the state Republican platform. Right. And we have a, we have a huge majority in the, state legislature, a super majority in both houses. Mhmm. And we can't get a hearing on it. And I can tell you why, but you'll have to ask me before I tell you why. Tell us why. Well, many years ago, we had a different, judiciary committee chair. And one of the first years when I filed it, I found out it was never going anywhere. And the the proverbial question is, why not? You know, it's a republican platform issue. Many people across the state are interested in doing this. And the answer I got was some of us can't get reelected if we pass this through. And so it's staying in the trash can. So instead of doing trash can for thirteen years. Instead of doing what the people of South Carolina want, they're just they're too busy covering their necks? Apparently so. That was the answer that, came back. And I can tell you that senator Corbyn who preceded me in the house before he went to the senate, I happen to remember that he filed it before I got down there and filed it. So it's been multiple people who've worked on this, and I'm sure we're not the only two that have worked on it. Let's talk about closing the primary bill first. What now we know that there has been a bill prefiled, but this really doesn't go as far as everybody wants it to because it's still it's pretty ambiguous. Right? The one that was was filed earlier well, late in last session? Well, I filed this one on the first day of pre filing. Mhmm. It's not got any press, obviously. There's another bill that's a closed primary bill, but it doesn't go far as this bill goes. Right. Two differences. The differences between the two are the other bill will let independence crossover without penalty and vote as Republicans. My bill will only let Republicans elect Republicans in the primary and then, of course, in the general, anybody can vote how they want to. Sure. Sure. But if you vote okay. So, have you gotten a lot of support? Because Sarita Edgerton, posted something today over on Twitter or Facebook or something. She said basically the same thing you did that when she talked about this bill, somebody standing next to her said if this gets passed, I'm never gonna get reelected. I mean, that Yeah. That's I mean, that's Serita is the cosponsor on the bill. Steven Frank is. Josiah Magnuson and I are on the bill. Bill Cholmonde supports it. We got we got a lot of local people that support this. I could go on and on and on. Well, how could the local people here don't match up with the rest of the state. Well, that's what I I wanna get to now. How can the people of the Upstate help you out in getting this bill passed? Well, here's what's happened that, is probably not known, but I was, encouraged to file a letter on the last day of session when we left in May, asking for demanding ...