Hello REALTORS®,
Elections aren’t held just every four years, or even two years. In fact, at almost any time there is a special election scheduled somewhere in South Carolina. There have been two special elections in the Western Upstate so far this year, including one this week for the mayor of Honea Path. And regularly scheduled elections are held every year on the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November.
So, what’s ahead for elections in our area?
Candidate Filing
Candidate filing for the municipal elections in several of our cities and towns opens July 21. Others open later, with filings concluding on August 20.
Special Elections
There are two more special elections in Anderson County on August 12 for voters to decide whether they want to implement zoning their areas. Anderson County uses the precinct method to decide on zoning. If 15% of the voters sign a petition, the county will hold a referendum. If a majority of voters agree, the county council will implement zoning in that precinct.
These two precincts will hold referendums on zoning on August 12:
- Neal’s Creek: the polling place is Welfare Baptist Church, 2106 Bold Drive, Belton
- Shirley’s Store: the polling place is Ebenezer Fire Station, 1416 Due West Highway, Anderson
A third precinct, Rock Spring, which is northeast of Neal’s Creek, is also considering a referendum. Two other precincts in the area are also considering referendums. If the petition process is completed, these three referendums could be on the ballot in November.
General Elections
The General Elections for 15 cities and towns in the Western Upstate are Tuesday, November 4, with 39 council seats and 5 mayoral offices on the ballot. Below are the details in order of their filing periods. In most cases, filing for these offices is at city/town hall. If you are interested in running, please contact me. I am happy to help.
Filing: July 21-August 1
- Central: 2 council seats and Mayor
- Easley: 1 council seat in Anderson County and 2 in Pickens County
- Norris: 2 council seats
- Six Mile: 2 council seats
Filing: August 1-August 15
- Iva: 4 council seats and Mayor (the entire council is on the ballot for 2-year terms)
- West Pelzer: 2 council seats
Filing: August 3-August 20
- Pendleton: 2 council seats and Mayor
Filing: August 4-August 15
- Salem: 2 council seats
- Seneca: 4 council seats and Mayor
- Walhalla: 3 council seats
- Westminster: 3 council seats
- West Union: 2 council seats
Filing: August 6-August 20
- Belton: 3 council seats
- Pelzer: 2 council seats and Mayor
- Honea Path: 3 council seats
You may be thinking, “aren’t a couple cities missing?” Yes, because Clemson, Starr, and Williamston hold their elections in the even years, and Anderson is in April of even years.
Another Penny Sales Tax Referendum?
Anderson County Council is considering giving voters another chance to vote on a referendum to impose a penny sales tax for roads. The referendum last year failed by a narrow margin. This year, the county council narrowed the list of projects to roads and bridges only. They gave first reading this week to putting the question on the ballot again this fall. I’ll write a more detailed report if they give the referendum final approval.
RPAC is Important
If real estate is your profession, politics is your business. It’s inescapable, which is why your association devotes its resources to advocacy.
RPAC is an important element of your Realtors Association’s advocacy program. About one-third of our members support RPAC, including some who do more—a lot more.
One member who has done a lot more is Francine Powers of Southern Real Estate Development in Pickens. Francine was recently inducted into the RPAC Hall of Fame by NAR in Washington DC. Over her years as a Realtor, Francine has contributed more than $25,000 to RPAC, earning her that honor. Thank you, Francine, for your leadership in supporting RPAC.
I encourage all Realtors to support RPAC, and we make it easy to do so. We include a voluntary $25 RPAC contribution ($100 for brokers) on your annual dues renewal. Simply pay it and you have supported RPAC. If you want to do more, that’s easy too.
Michael Dey, Director of Government Affairs