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Mullins mayor and councilwoman oppose proposal to move municipal elections from November to April
Summary
At an April 14 council meeting, Mayor Miko Pickett and Councilwoman Terry Delora Davis warned that a proposed ordinance could shift Mullins municipal elections from November to April, reducing turnout and raising transparency, legal and ethics concerns; Mayor Pickett requested a public hearing and additional documentation before any change.
On April 14, 2026, the Mullins City Council heard first reading of Ordinance #2026-004, a measure that would adopt the provisions of Resolution #2026-003 and — as recorded in the minutes — could have the effect of moving municipal elections from the city’s traditional November date into April.
Mayor Miko Pickett said she supports "correcting any inconsistencies or technical flaws within our ordinances," but argued the current proposal "goes far beyond a simple correction." She told the council that shifting elections from November to April "removes our citizens from the highest-turnout election cycle" and raised separate questions about process and transparency, asking specifically for documentation of any meetings, communications, or authorizations that initiated the change. "If this process cannot stand up to full transparency—then it should not stand at all," Pickett said.
Councilwoman Terry Delora Davis, who read a prepared statement during the meeting, urged the council to preserve high turnout and voter access. "If you move an election to a time when fewer people vote, you are not increasing access—you are limiting it," Davis said, and described any move to an April date as "not about efficiency... This is about control." She added she would "support correcting what is broken. But I will not support changing something that is working—at the expense of the people we were elected to serve."
Minutes show Council Member Kindra Brewton-Pompey moved to accept the first reading of Ordinance #2026-004 and Council Member Eddie Kitchen seconded; the record notes Mayor Pickett and Councilwoman Davis voted "nay." Mayor Pickett also requested a hearing on Ordinance #2026-004; the minutes do not show a final vote on that ordinance at the April 14 meeting.
The mayor cited City Ordinance Section 2.24.010 to question whether appropriate authority and direction had been followed in initiating the change, and referenced a 2004 historical example in which a flawed ordinance was not implemented because of federal preclearance concerns related to the Voting Rights Act. She also raised ethical concerns, saying the South Carolina Ethics Commission cautions against actions that could be perceived as reducing voter participation. The minutes do not include written opinions from outside legal counsel or the Marion County Election Commission verifying compliance with state or federal requirements.
Council discussion and public statements at the meeting framed the issue as both technical (language cleanup) and substantive (the timing of elections, voter turnout and process transparency). Mayor Pickett asked for documentation of who directed the process and any communications that led to the ordinance change; no such documentation was presented in the minutes.
What happens next: Mayor Pickett requested a hearing on Ordinance #2026-004; the record does not show a final vote on moving the election date at this meeting. The matter remained under review in subsequent proceedings of the council.
Authorities referenced in the meeting: City Ordinance Section 2.24.010 (as cited by the mayor) and historical preclearance considerations tied to the Voting Rights Act (referenced by the mayor as historical context).
