Policy Bracketology 2025: Vote On Our Palmetto Freedom Agenda
You may remember last year’s Policy Bracketology, where we asked our readers to vote on Palmetto Promise’s biggest policy wins, in celebration of our 11th anniversary as an organization.
Now that we have released our 2025-26 legislative priorities in our Palmetto Freedom Agenda, we want to ask you, our readers, to cast your votes for the most important item on our Palmetto Freedom Agenda.
So without further ado, let’s get into round 1 of voting, open until March 28!
(click to enlarge the graphic and click through links to learn more about each policy topic!)
EDUCATION REGION
Matchup 1
Universal Education Scholarship Accounts (ESAs)
After the SC Supreme Court ruled the state’s initial school choice program unconstitutional, we are on a mission to restore school choice in our state and ensure every child has access to the education option of their choice.
Parents’ Bill of Rights
Parents should always have access to what is being taught in their children’s classrooms; a Parents’ Bill of Rights secure these rights into law.
Matchup 2
Livestream School Board Meetings
Many school districts in our state do not livestream their meetings, leaving citizens in the dark about what happens unless they attend in person. We need a statewide law requiring all school boards to livestream any and all meetings, not just the ones they feel like.
Public School Choice – Open Enrollment
Your zipcode should not determine your destiny. Students should be able to move between public schools outside their residential zone to find the best fit for them.
HEALTHCARE REGION
MATCHUP 3
Streamline Bureaucratic Health Agencies
South Carolina’s fractured healthcare system is in desperate need of coordination and streamlining among its agencies dealing with health. This saves money and delivers services more effectively and efficiently for citizens.
Expand Scope of Practice
Medical professionals should not face unnecessary regulatory barriers, especially when South Carolina already faces a healthcare shortage. These professionals should able to practice at the top of their training.
MATCHUP 4
Price Transparency in Medical Billing
You should know what you are going to pay for a medical procedure, BEFORE you get it done, not when you get the bill in the mail. This lets patients “shop” between different healthcare providers to find the best cost and service.
Telehealth Expansion
South Carolina needs greater expansion of telehealth to allow easier practice across state lines and removal of these unnecessary barriers. With temporary removal of these restrictions during COVID, we saw just how unnecessary these rules are.
FREE MARKET & ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITY REGION
MATCHUP 5
Comprehensive Tax Reform
South Carolina’s income tax is the highest in the Southeast. We have lots of work to do cutting our high individual income tax, our elevated corporate property tax, and our “innovation tax” that drives economic development from the Palmetto State. Tax reform takes addressing all of these areas!
Reform Occupational Licensing
We make it too difficult to work and do business in South Carolina. Too many jobs have unnecessary licensing barriers to hiring and too much government interference prevents businesses from functioning efficiently.
MATCHUP 6
Lower Electricity Bills, More Capacity
South Carolina’s energy market is uncompetitive, expensive, and full of monopoly utilities. We need to encourage innovation and energy production, all while ensuring costs are not passed on to ratepayers, who already have some of the highest energy bills in the nation.
Adopt a Regulatory Sandbox in SC
A regulatory sandbox allows emerging technology industries (think Fintech services like Zelle or Venmo) to operate without burdensome regulation for a trial period, allowing the state to learn what regulations an emerging sector might need. Joining North Carolina’s regulatory sandbox efforts, South Carolina can become a leader in the tech industry.
FREE & FAIR LEGAL SYSTEM REGION
MATCHUP 7
Repeal the Lawsuit Tax
South Carolina households pay $3,181 annually in a lawsuit tax brought on by the state’s lawsuit industry that incentivizes billboard lawyers to chase “cash cow” defendants. This drives businesses away from our state, and it’s causing liability insurance rates to skyrocket. We have got to make our laws more fair.
Standardize Local Elections
The saying goes that every Tuesday is Election Day somewhere in South Carolina. Local and municipal elections are held randomly throughout the year, and voter turnout is abysmal. By standardizing elections on normal election days, we can encourage voter turnout and engagement in these important local races.
MATCHUP 8
Magistrate Judge Reform
Last year’s judicial reforms were good, but they left out a major part of South Carolina’s judicial system: magistrate judges. These courts are the busiest in the state, but judges aren’t required to have a law degree and are appointed in a sketchy process rife with conflicts of interest. Magistrates should go through a rigorous screening before they are appointed to rule on cases.
Protect Property Rights in Asset Forfeiture
Law enforcement can seize a person’s property without charging that person with a crime and then use 95% of the proceeds to fund police and prosecution expenses, in a process known as “civil asset forfeiture.” Some jurisdictions use this power wisely and fairly. In other places, it is a “policing for profit” scheme. A higher standard, like a criminal conviction, should be required for the permanent forfeiture of a person’s property.
