By Delayna Earley
The Island News
Tuesday, Nov. 7, is Election Day, and it is approaching fast. Here’s what you need to know.
Polling places in Beaufort open at 7 a.m. and will remain open until 7 p.m.
Depending on where you live within Beaufort County, your ballot at the polling place may look different, but here are a few important items that are being voted on during Tuesday’s election:
- Port Royal Mayoral race – this race is between incumbent Mayor Joe DeVito and Town Council member Kevin Phillips.
- Port Royal Town Council race – there are two seats open and two candidates, so this election is less of a race and more of a formality. The two candidates, incumbent Jerry Ashmore and newcomer Jorge Guerrero are seeking to fill the uncontested seats.
- Beaufort County School District Bond Referendum – the referendum requests $439 million in bonds to help deal with overcrowding in schools, bolstering security measures and modernizing outdated facilities. For more details on this, read The Island News’ October 26 story at https://bit.ly/49iNsvt.
- Fripp Island Public Service District (FIPSD) Bond Referendum – seeking $5.25 million for fire services and vehicles on the island, repairing and reconstructing District revetments and related infrastructure, and to help with repairing and reconstructing the Fripp Inlet Bridge.
Early voting
Early voting in Beaufort County runs through Friday, Nov. 3. The polls are open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Any registered voter can visit an early-voting location in Beaufort County and vote like they would at their polling place on Election Day.
Early Voting Centers include:
– Board of Voter Registration and Elections of Beaufort County (Main office), 15 John Galt Road, Beaufort, S.C. 29906
– Bluffton Recreation Center Gymnasium, 61A Ulmer Road, Bluffton, S.C. 29910
– Hilton Head Government Complex, 539 William Hilton Parkway, Hilton Head Island, S.C. 29928
– St. Helena Branch Library, 6355 Jonathan Francis Sr. Road, St. Helena Island, S.C. 29920
Polling places
Polling places on Election Day are subject to change under certain conditions, so voters are encouraged to check their polling place at scVOTES.gov before heading out on Tuesday.
As of Tuesday, Oct. 31, the polling places in northern Beaufort County are as follows:
– Beaufort 1, 2 and 3 – Charles L. Brown Activity Center – 1001 Hamar Street
– Burton 1A – Burton Wells Recreation Center – 1 Middleton Recreation Drive
– Burton 1B and 3 – Robert Smalls Leadership Academy – 43 W.K. Alston Road
– Burton 1C and 1D – Joseph S. Shanklin Elementary School – 121 Morrall Drive
– Burton 2A and 2B – Community Bible Church – 638 Parris Island Gateway
– Burton 2C – Love House Ministries – 423 Parris Island Gateway
– Lady’s Island 1A – Lady’s Island Middle School – 30 Cougar Drive
– Lady’s Island 1B – Lady’s Island Elementary School – 73 Chowan Creek Bluff Road
– Lady’s Island 2A – Coosa Elementary School – 45 Middle Road
– Lady’s Island 2B and 2C – David Smith Community Center – 140 Coosaw River Drive
– Lady’s Island 3A and 3C – Tidal Creek Fellowship – 290 Brickyard Point Road
– Lady’s Island 3B – Lady’s Island Elementary School – 73 Chowan Creek Bluff Road
– Mossy Oaks 1A – Cornerstone Christian Church – 2301 First Blvd.
– Mossy Oaks 1B – Beaufort Middle School – 2501 Mossy Oaks Road
– Mossy Oaks 2 – Mossy Oaks Elementary School – 2510 Mossy Oaks Road
– Port Royal 1 and 2 – Port Royal Town Hall – 700 Paris Avenue
– Dale/Lobeco – James J. Davis Early Childhood Center – 364 Keans Neck Road
– Seabrook 1 – Beaufort County Public Works – 120 Shanklin Road
– Seabrook 2 – Whale Branch Middle School – 2009 Trask Pkwy.
– Seabrook 3 – Grays Hill Fire Department Station 82 – 14 Bruce K Smalls Drive
– Sheldon 1 – Elijah Washington Medical Center – 211 Paige Point Road
– Sheldon 2 – Booker T. Washington Community Center – 182 Booker T. Washington Circle
– Saint Helena 1A – Saint Helena Branch Library – 6355 Jonathan Francis, Sr. Road
– Saint Helena 1B – Scott Community Center – 242 Scott Hill Road
– Saint Helena 1C – Dataw Community Center – 43 Marina Drive
– Saint Helena 2A – Saint Helena Elementary School – 1025 Sea Island Pkwy.
– Saint Helena 2B – Gloria Potts Community Center – 130 Seaside Road
– Saint Helena 2C – Fripp Island Community Center – 205 Tarpon Blvd.
What you need to vote
You must have a valid Photo ID to vote (or voter registration card if you do not have a Photo ID).
The following are acceptable type of photo IDs:
– S.C. Driver’s License
– S.C. DMV Identification Card
– S.C. Voter Registration Card with a Photo
– Federal Military ID
– U.S. Passport
Delayna Earley lives in Beaufort with her husband, two children and Jack Russell. She formerly worked as a photojournalist for The Island Packet/The Beaufort Gazette, as well as newspapers in Indiana and Virginia. She can be reached at delayna.theislandnews@gmail.com.
