In 2002, the South Carolina gubernatorial candidates developed and signed a code of campaign conduct. A code of conduct allows candidates to define how they want to run their campaigns and identifies unacceptable behavior. In South Carolina, the candidates’ intent was to give the campaign a sense of respectability and accountability by allowing more focus on pertinent issues. This voluntary effort was aided by the South Carolina Project on Campaign Conduct.
The Jim Self Center on the Future at Clemson University coordinated the South Carolina Project on Campaign Conduct in partnership with the Institute for Global Ethics’ National Project on Campaign Conduct. These two projects were funded by The Pew Charitable Trusts. The South Carolina League of Women Voters and the Robert J. Rutland Center for Ethics at Clemson University were state partners in the effort.