Local races enter countdown to Nov. 3

Yard signs will continue to bloom and political barbs will keep sprouting as the homestretch nears for dozens of Lowcountry municipal campaigns.

Candidates have just over a week left before Election Day arrives Nov. 3.

One of the highest-profile contests -- the three-way race to see who will become Mount Pleasant's next mayor -- will intensify Monday as the candidates appear at a forum at 7 p.m. at Town Hall.

Mayoral hopefuls Joe Bustos, Gary Santos and Billy Swails are expected to appear, as are the 19 candidates for the town's four Town Council seats.

None of the 22 Mount Pleasant mayoral and council candidates are incumbents, and the surging interest in these wide-open races has resulted in heavy absentee voting so far, said Marilyn Bowers, director of the Charleston County Board of Elections and Voter Registration.

Another lively contest is taking place just up U.S. Highway 17, wherelongtime Awendaw Mayor William Alston faces a challenge from Town Councilman Sam Robinson. In a campaign dominated by talk about the town's growth and zoning issues, each mayoral hopeful also is backing a different slate of council candidates.

The city of Charleston also is holding an election Nov. 3, but only those voters who live in City Council Districts 2, 8, 10 and 12 may participate. These districts mostly cover West Ashley and James Island, though District 8 also includes part of the peninsula.

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Voters on the Isle of Palms will choose between incumbent Mayor Dick Cronin and challenger Jimmy Ward, and they will choose among six candidates for four city council seats. The city's candidates are expected to appear at a forum at 7 p.m. Wednesday in the Isle of Palms Recreation Center on 28th Avenue.

Seabrook Island and Rockville also will elect a mayor and several council members, while voters in Ravenel, Lodge and Edisto Beach also will go to the polls. Moncks Corner voters will pick several council members and decide whether to allow Sunday beer and wine sales there.

Some elections, like those in McClellanville and Jamestown, were so sleepy that no challengers filed and the towns called off their elections to save the expense, as allowed under state law.

Bowers said voters who have moved should try to update their address before Election Day so they can receive a letter that will allow them to vote at the correct polling place.

Also, those seeking an absentee ballot by mail should do so as soon as possible.

"The last day we can mail a ballot is Friday before the election, but the ballot has to be back to us by Election Day," she said, "so waiting that late is really taking a chance."