The small town of Atlantic Beach, South Carolina (population 233), which is part of the Grand Strand tourist region near North Myrtle Beach, continues to await official results of its November 2023 mayoral election. Ballots were contested and during a recount, the town voted to dissolve the election commission.
When the election polls closed, the town’s election commission found 65 votes for candidate John David and 64 votes for candidate Josephine Isom, who filed a protest of the certification of the mayoral election claiming several votes were cast by those who do not live in Atlantic Beach.
“In November, the Atlantic Beach Town Council hastily voted to abolish its municipal election commission before it had a chance to complete a recount of the Nov. 7 mayor’s race between Mayor Pro Tem Josephine Isom and Atlantic Beach resident John David.” https://t.co/tsWIWFtAD7
— Jennifer Asper (@j3669) January 12, 2024
In January 2024, with the approval of the two mayoral candidates, the town’s legal counsel sent a letter to South Carolina Governor Henry McMaster requesting that he intervene.
The letter reads in part: “..irregularities include, but are not limited to, allegations of voter fraud, alleged illegal and improper conduct by a municipal election official, and various legal actions that are now pending before the Supreme Court of South Carolina.”
[Note: Mayoral candidate John David filed a lawsuit against the town of Atlantic Beach with the South Carolina Supreme Court.]
Responding, the Governor’s chief legal counsel, Thomas A. Limehouse, Jr., explained that the Governor “does not have the authority to order a new election, the Governor does not have the authority to assume a judicial role and effectively decide (or direct the SEC to assume control of) a contested matter that is the subject of ongoing litigation.”
Limehouse, added: “…the Office cannot accommodate your request for Governor McMaster to end this embarrassing episode (and litigation related to the same) by resorting to a procedure that is not authorized by state law.”
