The oath of office is taken by a school board member in the State of South Carolina. The oath is specific and it should be administered, and taken, verbatim. Shouldn't it?
Can you find the differences in these versions?
This is the oath as stated in the S.C. Constitution:
“I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I am duly qualified, according to the Constitution of this State, to exercise the duties of the office to which I have been elected, (or appointed), and that I will, to the best of my ability, discharge the duties thereof, and preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution of this State and of the United States. So help me God.”
"I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I am duly qualified, according to the Constitution of this State, to exercise the duties of the office to which I have been elected (or appointed) and that I will, to the best of my ability, discharge the duties thereof and preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of this State and of the United States, so help me God." – (S.C. Constitution, Art. III, Sect. 26)
This version is the oath as administered by the Richland 2 School District:
"First, I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I am duly qualified, according, to the Constitution of this State, to exercise the duties of the office to which I have been elected (or appointed), and that I will, to the best of my ability, discharge the duties thereof, and preserve and protect and defend the Constitution of this State and of the United States. So help me God."
The cleanest, most-correct version grammatically is that of the SCSBA. A close second is the actual oath in the State Constitution.
A distant third is the version used by Richland 2. A typist, perhaps somewhere in the bowels of some law firm and on her last day on the job and who must have gotten a C- in English, typed the version used by the District.
The errors cause me to think of the two versions of the Second Amendment of the U. S. Constitution.
The version passed by Congress read, "A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed."
The version ratified by the States and authenticated by Secretary of State Thomas Jefferson, read, "A well regulated Militia being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms shall not be infringed."
Source: Wikipedia
