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Council votes to place single-member district referendum on Nov. 2026 ballot
Summary
After extended public comment and council debate, Jasper County Council voted to bring a previously tabled resolution forward and approve a referendum asking voters whether four defined single-member township districts (plus one at-large seat) should replace at‑large voting for county council seats in November 2026.
Jasper County Council voted to bring a previously tabled resolution off the agenda and approved placing a single‑member district referendum before voters in November 2026.
Reverend Donald Sheptaw, who asked the council to act, told the council that voters should decide how council members are elected. "Let the voters of Jasper vote," he said, arguing the change would allow communities to hold representatives accountable. Council members discussed the legal mechanics required for ballot language — including that the referendum must define the options — and whether a petition alternative would be appropriate if the council declined to act.
Vice Chair Arzillo and Councilman Van Giesen both supported taking the measure to voters, and the council voted to bring the resolution forward and approve the referendum language as presented. The resolution would ask voters whether to change the method of election from at-large voting to single‑member district voting for the four township seats while retaining an at‑large method for the fifth seat in a November 2026 referendum, subject to final language and legal review.
The resolution references South Carolina statutory authority cited in staff materials. The council recorded no formal roll-call tally in the meeting transcript; the chair announced "the ayes carry." The measure will appear on the November 2026 ballot if final verbiage and the county board-of-elections schedule are satisfied.
