Six or seven months — that’s the length of time that a municipal election commission, or MEC, should be planning for an election, according to the Municipal Association’s Municipal Election Commission Handbook.
As elections approach, local officials sometimes find themselves uncertain of whether their MEC is properly assembled and ready, or possibly who is on the commission — so being aware of the status of the commission well in advance is a key part of making elections run smoothly.
South Carolina law, found in SC Code Section 5-15-145, allows municipalities to transfer either some or the entirety of their responsibilities to the county election commission, and many municipalities have done this. In cases where the city or town has transferred all responsibilities to the county, the MEC is abolished.
MECs have numerous responsibilities:
- Publishing notices of upcoming elections.
- Appointing poll managers and providing them with training.
- Coordinating with the county election commission for the preparation and use of voting machines and other equipment.
- Distributing ballots, including absentee ballots, and overseeing the tabulation of them.
- Certifying both the eligibility of candidates to run for office and the election results.
- Hearing protests following election results.
The Association’s MEC handbook details all the steps an MEC needs to take from its first meeting to the steps it should be taking at various time intervals leading up to the election. It explains legal requirements for voter photo ID, poll managers, public notices, candidate filing processes, ballots, certifications, audits, recounts, protests and other issues.