Date recommended for District 18 Republican contest

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District 18 incumbent council member Steve Selby will face political newcomer Tony Trout in the election.

County Election Commission Director Conway Belangia said late Thursday afternoon that Gov. Mark Sanford had asked for the recommendation.

Additionally, Belangia said the District 18 contest would be the first time the county would use its new touch-screen election machines from Omaha, Neb.-based Election Systems and Software.

ES&S was selected this week to provide electronic voting machines to 16 counties statewide. State Election Commission Director Marci Andino said the machines should be shipped in the next couple of weeks.

Greenville County voters had previously used punch-card ballots, which came under fire in the 2000 presidential election in Florida.

Belangia said the Sept. 7 date would give the election commission time to get the election certified and to mail out optical-scan absentee ballots to overseas voters. He said he had consulted with Republican leaders and the state Election Commission to come up with the date.

Still unclear Thursday was who would be able to participate in the election — all registered voters in the district or only those who didn't participate in the Democratic primary June 8.

"That's not my call," Belangia said.

South Carolina Republican Party Executive Director Luke Byars said the party would consult with its attorney today on the question.

"Somebody for sure will have to give instructions to the county election commission," Belangia said, adding that he would look for an executive order on that from the governor's office.

That order hadn't come through yet Thursday, he said.

Trout has said he would prefer the election be open to all voters.

Selby has said he would like to see only those who didn't vote Democratic on June 8 participate.

Trout won a June 22 runoff against Selby by 18 votes, but Selby successfully protested that result to the local and state Republican Party leadership.

Trout appealed those decisions all the way up to the state Supreme Court, but the case died Wednesday when the high court chose not to hear it.

Anna B. Brutzman can be reached at 298-4394.