Loaded Beaufort County ballot in works for November election

Beaufort County election officials are working to put together a loaded ballot, topped by the presidential race, ahead of the Nov. 8 election.

Among local elections, the city of Beaufort will elect a mayor and two city council members.

The town of Hilton Head Island will elect three Town Council members, and Hilton Head and Fripp Island will choose Public Service District commissioners.

Four seats are up on Beaufort County Council and four also up on the school board. Three school board seats will be contested, while only one County Council seat is opposed.

S.C. House of Representatives District 121, which includes portions of Beaufort and Colleton counties, will also be on the ballot.

The ballot will also include three referendum questions:

— a Beaufort County capital projects sales tax

— Beaufort County School District’s penny-tax proposal

— $217 million in general obligation bonds to pay for capital projects such as new schools and land, school additions and renovations and HVAC and roof upgrades.

Here is what you need to know before Election Day on Nov. 8.

▪ Voter registration deadline is Oct. 8. To register to vote or check your registration information, visit www.scvotes.org. Voters should use the appropriate link to ensure their address is up to date, said Beaufort County Voter Registration and Elections director Marie Smalls.

▪ One of the following forms of photo identification is required to vote in person: a S.C. driver’s license, a Department of Motor Vehicles ID card, an S.C. Voter Registration Card with photo, a federal military ID, a U.S. passport.

▪ Applications for absentee ballots by mail are available now online or by asking the Beaufort County elections office by phone, mail, email or fax. An application will then be mailed.

Completed applications must be received by 5 p.m. Nov. 4. Applications can be delivered by mail, email, fax or in person until the deadline.

The Beaufort County elections office hopes to have ballots completed within the next week and a half, Smalls said, but they could take longer.

Ballots will be made available to military members and overseas citizens no later than 45 days before the election, as required by federal law.

When they are available, absentee ballots will be mailed and can be returned in person or by mail to the Beaufort County Board of Voter Registration and Elections by 7 p.m. on Nov. 8. Another person can return a ballot for you, but an authorization form available at the Beaufort County elections office is required.

Absentee in person voting will also be an option in the weeks leading up to Election Day, until 5 p.m. the day before the election at the Beaufort County Board of Voter Registration and Elections Offices at 15 John Galt Road in Beaufort or 61-B Ulmer Road in Bluffton. Voting absentee in person requires proper photo ID.

For a list of who is qualified to vote absentee and more voting information, visit www.bcgov.net and select “Board of Elections and Registration” under “Departments.” Information is also available at www.scvotes.org.

This story was originally published September 12, 2016 at 4:05 PM with the headline "Loaded Beaufort County ballot in works for November election."