UPDATED May 23, 2023 to include information on SC State Ethics Commission requirements for candidates running for municipal offices.
UPDATED June 6, 2023 to correct closing date for filing to 12:00 noon, Monday July 10, 2023, per the City’s posted notice of 6/2/23.
By request, The Aiken Chronicles is posting information on 2023 City of Aiken elections. First, some basic information from Section 14 in the Aiken City Code.
Qualifications and Open Seats
Sec. 14-1. – Election of mayor and council members.
The mayor shall be elected from the city at large, and one member of council shall be elected from each of the six districts set forth and designated upon the map and accompanying documents entitled “City of Aiken Election Plan (2012)” that are on file in the official records maintained by the city clerk. The City of Aiken Election Plan (2012) in its entirety is incorporated into this section by reference. Candidates seeking election to council from one of the six districts must be a resident of the district for which the candidate is seeking election and, if elected, must continue to be a resident of that district for the entire term of office. Candidates seeking election as mayor must be a resident of the city and, if elected, must continue to be a resident of the city for the entire term of office.
Sec. 14-2. – Terms of Office.
The mayor and members of council shall be elected for terms of four years. Commencing with the 2013 general municipal election, council members for Districts 2, 4, 5 and 6 shall be elected. Commencing with the 2015 general municipal election, the mayor and council members for Districts 1 and 3 shall be elected. The districts referred to in this section are those set forth and designated upon the map and accompanying documents identified in section 14-1.
Accordingly, the office of mayor and the seats for Districts 1 and 3 (Councilwoman Gail Diggs and Councilwoman Kay Brohl, respectively) are up for grabs in 2023.
City Council Districts
Other information on elections, including detailed descriptions of the city council districts , can be found elsewhere in Section 14 at the links above.
Click on the map below to access an interactive map and close-up views of city council districts at the City of Aiken website.
Where and When to File?
The filing period for the 2023 election begins at noon on Monday, July 3, 2023 and closes at noon on Monday, July 10, 2023. The City of Aiken General Election will be held on November 7, 2023.
The contact for Democratic Party candidates is Aiken Democratic Party Chairman Harold Crawford Jr. at 803-215-5509. The filing location is Democratic Party headquarters at 410 Richland Avenue West in Aiken.
The contact for Republican candidates is Aiken Republican Party Chairwoman Debbie Epling at 803-599-8660. The filing location is Republican Party headquarters at 127 Greenville Street SW in Aiken.
Other political party candidates can contact their respective state party leadership for information on filing.
Additional SC State Ethics Commission Requirements
Candidates filing in July 2023 for a November 2023 run for office in Aiken, SC will need to familiarize themselves with SC State Ethics Commission requirements provided in the link below. The following forms need to be filed:
- Immediately upon filing for office, file a “Statement of Economic Interests” disclosing sources of income to household. (This step not necessary for non-partisan races unless candidate wins, in which case the “Statement of Economic Interests” must be filed before taking oath of office).
- Immediately upon filing for office, open a campaign checking account through which all campaign transactions must be processed.
- The instant that a total of $500 in transactions (a combined total of spending and/or receiving) is reached in the campaign checking account, the candidate must file an “Initial Campaign Disclosure.”
- Additionally, a “Campaign Disclosure” must be filed on the 10th of the month following any quarter in which there is a balance in the campaign checking account. (e.g. Oct 10, Jan 10, April 10….).
- Additionally, no matter whether any money was ever received or spent, the candidate must file a “Pre-Election Campaign Disclosure” by October 18-23, 2023.
Failure to do the above can result in large fines. Additional requirements plus instructions for filing these forms can be found at https://ethics.sc.gov/sites/ethics/files/Documents/Brochures/2023CandidateNewsletter.pdf
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Thank you for this helpful info !
Thank you for putting this information out there.
According to this 2019 article the last time the Mayor, Diggs and Brohl were elected
https://www.postandcourier.com/aikenstandard/news/election-coverage-brohl-diggs-win-city-council-seats-osbon-reelected-aiken-mayor/article_05b20203-dce2-599c-aa75-a2d6aa92cec7.html
Brohl had 568 votes, and Brecht had 331 votes, according to unofficial results Tuesday evening
Rick Osbon, a Republican incumbent, who ran unopposed for mayor, garnered 1,784 votes. There were 125 write-in votes for mayor.
City Council member and Mayor Pro Tempore Gail Diggs, a Democrat, won reelection in District 1. She faced political newcomer Jeremy Stevens, a Republican.
Diggs had 390 votes, and Stevens had 59 votes, according to unofficial vote totals.
Compare those winning numbers to the reported 3000 signatures against Project Pascalis on the MIA DIR Petition and it puts it into perspective how easy it should be to put some fresh horses in the Public Stables if people are serious about voting them out.
Good information, Kelly — thanks for sharing! Seeing these numbers puts things into perspective and illustrates that change is, indeed, within our reach. If we want it.
There has understandably been much talk over the past year about “voting hard” in the 2023 election for city council and mayor. That is, of course, important. But without alternative candidates, this is like asking a patron in a deli to “order hard” for a pastrami on rye, when the only thing on the menu is a ham sandwich. Hopefully the numbers you’ve provided here will offer further encouragement to those considering a run in 2023.
Well, ham just isn’t kosher so let’s hope the menu broadens! ………..no offense Piggy!!
Another a good perspective is the 115 comments on the City’s FB page and all but two are strongly against a bomb plant lab downtown. This happened in only one day when people were encouraged on the DIR Page by Lisa Smith to comment (see wildly popular and effective Say No To Pascalis sign campaign) that she also created.
Anyway you can see the city’s post here
https://www.facebook.com/cityofaikensc/posts/pfbid031HyDLUJWt81YpmMpAbYY5WgZvF883AkPZ6P3tvyAtWMvBbSda8L4Ggq3vrKzzYEWl?__tn__=-R
115 comments in a day should be concerning to someone who only won their seat by a few hundred votes.
Your posting: A BRIEF PRIMER ON 2023 CITY OF AIKEN ELECTIONS is much appreciated!
Glad to hear! Thanks, LJ.