Council delays municipal election commission appointments to ensure legal compliance and transparency

City staff and the city attorney told Cayce City Council the municipal election commission currently has more members and non-staggered terms inconsistent with state law (S.C. Code §5-15-90), which provides for a three-member commission with staggered six-year terms. The attorney advised council it needs to "confirm three members ... to staggered six-year terms," to bring the commission into conformity.

Municipal Clerk Mindy Corder reported she had contacted the five current members; they were generally willing to continue to serve but understood the need for council direction. "They all were more than willing to continue to serve, but were perfectly fine stepping down if need be," Corder told council.

Council members pressed for transparency and asked that application materials for any candidates be included in the council packet so the public can see who is being considered. After discussion the council voted to postpone action until the Oct. 7 meeting and requested written confirmations or applications from current members and any new applicants to be provided ahead of that meeting.

Why it matters: The municipal election commission certifies municipal election results and can adjudicate challenges; bringing the commission into statutory conformity before the upcoming election was the stated objective. The postponement gives council time to collect written records, publish applications and set staggered terms in a manner consistent with the attorney’s recommendations.

Council did not finalize appointments at the Sept. 17 meeting and set further consideration for Oct. 7.