GCDP Chair Kate Franch’s message to Democrats from the March 2019 Bray focused on the upcoming special election for the state Senate 6 campaign, while also looking ahead to the 2020 election. You can also read this message in Spanish.
Greetings Greenville Democrats,
Elections are on the horizon! By the time you read this, we will be within a week of the March 26 special election for SC Senate District 6. What a difference Tina will make simply by helping to balance political power in our state Senate. To get her there, her campaign will need whatever help you can give to get out the vote – please make time to phone bank, canvass, poll watch, drive voters, and/or encourage anyone you know in that district to vote. Every single vote matters!
Election of municipal council seats in Greenville, Fountain Inn, Greer, Mauldin, Simpsonville, and Travelers Rest will take place on Tuesday, Nov. 5, 2019. Because Greenville City Council elections are partisan, the process starts earlier than in the other municipalities. Filing runs from 8:30 a.m. on Monday, March 18 through noon on Monday, April 1. The seats on the ballot in 2019 are District 1, District 3, one At-Large District, and one Water Commissioner. This election will help to determine whether Greenville City equitably reflects and honors the voices of all residents and neighborhoods for decades to come.
In June, Democrats from across the state will gather in Columbia to elect state Democratic Party officers for the 2019-2021 term as well as to conduct other party business. Please mark your calendar with the new dates for the SCDP Dem Weekend: June 21 – 22. All events are open to the public so plan to attend and be part of the excitement leading into the 2020 election cycle. (See page XX for hotel options for the weekend.) Friday night will kick off with the Blue Palmetto Dinner and Rep. Clyburn’s World Famous Fish Fry; the business portion will convene Saturday morning. You can expect that at least some of the presidential candidates will be on the program.
While anyone may attend the state convention, only county party delegates who were elected at county conventions in 2018 are able to vote. County delegates and alternates serve for two years so, if you were elected at last year’s GCDP County Convention, you will receive more details about this year’s state convention as soon as it is distributed by the SCDP.
From the SCDP Rules, IV. State Party Organization, 1. Officers:
“In each odd numbered year, at the annual State Convention, a Chair and three Vice Chairs shall be elected for a two year period. The First Vice Chair shall be of a gender different from the Chair, the Second Vice Chair shall be of a race different from the Chair, and the Third Vice Chair shall be between the ages of 18 and 36 years of age. At the first meeting of the State Party Executive Committee, the remaining two officers, Secretary and Treasurer, shall be elected. The officers shall be residents and voters in the state of South Carolina. No person who has been convicted of a state or federal crime related to voting or the conduct of an election shall hold office at any level of the South Carolina Democratic Party.”[1]
Trav Robertson, chair, Lessie Price, first vice-chair, Anthony Thompson, second vice-chair, and Scott Thorpe, third vice-chair, are all running for re-election If you are interested in a state party officer position, information about filing will be available soon. In the meantime, you can read the SCDP Rules here: scdp.org/resources.
In addition, we’ll continue to welcome national candidates to Greenville County – thank you for showing them our wonderfully friendly and enthusiastic South Carolina hospitality. You’re demonstrating how far we’ve come, and ensuring that they’ll come back!
In solidarity,
Kate