Low Voter Turnout in Municipal Elections Across Laurens County

Just eight percent of registered voters in municipalities across Laurens County went to the polls Tuesday, March 4, to cast their ballots in non-partisan municipal elections.

According to the South Carolina Election Commission, municipal elections across the state frequently see low turnout, often well below 20 percent. This trend is not unique to Laurens County. In fact, the United States Elections Projectreports that South Carolina’s voter turnout in the 2020 general election was just 67.8 percent, ranking the state among the lower half nationally for voter participation — and turnout for local elections is historically even lower.

Several seats on Tuesday’s ballot drew no candidates at all, leaving voters to decide the winners through write-in campaigns.

Laurens City Council

• District 1: Marian Miller (Incumbent) – Unopposed
• District 2: Alicia Sullivan (Incumbent, Write-in) – 41 votes
  • Melinda Gray (Write-in) – 23 votes
• District 4: Calvin Whitmire – 58 votes
  • Sara Latimore (Incumbent) – 15 votes

Laurens Commission of Public Works

• District 2, Seat 4: Parker Moore (Incumbent) – Unopposed

Clinton City Council

• District 1: Danny Cook (Incumbent) – 109 votes
  • Sonya Adams – 17 votes
• District 3: Runoff required on March 18 between Cogsdill and Neal
  • Natalie Cogsdill – 38 votes
  • Robbie Neal (Incumbent) – 21 votes
  • Dianne Vaughn – 16 votes
• District 5: Danny Smith – 58 votes
  • Ronnie Roth (Incumbent) – 42 votes

Town of Cross Hill

• Mayor: Danny Stroud (Incumbent) – Unopposed
• Town Council (Top Four Win):
  • Brandon Simpson (Incumbent) – 41 votes
  • Beverly Jones (Incumbent) – 37 votes
  • Rita Faye Neal – 29 votes
  • Connie Jester (Incumbent) – 22 votes

Town of Gray Court

• Town Council (Two Seats Available):
  • Millie Dawkins (Incumbent) – 44 votes
  • Brittany Hames (Write-in) – 24 votes

Town of Waterloo

• Mayor: Barbara Smith (Incumbent) – Unopposed
• Town Council (Two Seats Available):
  • Murry Jones (Incumbent) – Unopposed
  • Curtis Todd (Incumbent) – Unopposed

With just 8 percent of eligible municipal voters participating, this year’s elections once again highlight the ongoing challenge of increasing voter engagement in local races — a pattern seen across South Carolina. According to the National League of Cities, turnout in municipal elections across the country routinely lags far behind state and national contests, particularly in smaller communities where races are often uncontested.