Greenville City Council voted 5-1 to give initial approval to an ordinance stripping party labels from the city's municipal elections, a change state law now forces on the city before the calendar flips to 2027. Council member Lillian Brock Flemming cast the lone vote in opposition, while council member Wil Brasington recused himself from the vote.
The ordinance is Greenville's response to a South Carolina law that mandates nonpartisan elections in municipalities with populations greater than 39,000, according to greenvilleonline.com. City leaders are moving to get the change on the books before the law takes effect Jan. 1, and the ordinance still needs a second reading before it becomes final.
The state requirement traces back to legislation the South Carolina General Assembly passed in May, which requires Greenville to hold nonpartisan municipal elections starting in 2027, per the Greenville Journal. The Post and Courier reports the underlying bill was signed into law on May 19 and applies to Florence as well, requiring both cities to hold nonpartisan elections beginning in 2027.
How the New Filing and Voting Process Would Work
Under the proposed ordinance, candidates would file for city office between noon on March 16 and noon on March 30, filing with the city clerk rather than the Greenville County Elections Office, as greenvilleonline.com reported. If more than two candidates file for the same seat, the city would hold a nonpartisan primary on the second Tuesday in June to narrow the field.
The top two vote-getters from that primary would then advance to the November general election, the Greenville Journal reported. Separately, if only one or two candidates file for a given office, they would be declared nominated without a primary and go straight to the general-election ballot, according to a report from Who's On The Move. That same outlet notes the city will keep its traditional election calendar, with general elections still held in November of odd-numbered years, and that the Greenville County Election Commission will continue running the city's elections.
State Law Leaves Cities a Menu of Options
South Carolina law does not force every affected city into an identical process. Communities covered by the mandate must choose one of three methods for running nonpartisan elections, including plurality voting, a general election with a runoff, or the nonpartisan primary-and-general format Greenville is now advancing, the Post and Courier reported. The South Carolina Code of Laws similarly lays out that each municipality must adopt by ordinance one of the listed alternative methods for nominating candidates and determining nonpartisan election results.
A Wide-Open Ballot Awaits in 2027
The stakes for Greenville voters go beyond the mechanics of filing deadlines and primary dates. Five city offices, including the mayor's seat, will be up for election in 2027, the Greenville Journal reported. Mayor Knox White, who has served since 1995, has confirmed he will not seek reelection, according to greenvilleonline.com, leaving the top job open for the first time in decades under the city's new nonpartisan rules.
Greenville has been here before. The council approved a similar nonpartisan shift in a split vote back in 2015, only to reverse course after a petition opposing the move gathered more than 6,000 signatures, the Post and Courier reported. This time, the change isn't optional — it's a matter of state law the city must follow before the new requirement kicks in.
