Board approves Port Royal���� municipal-election authority transfer process

The Beaufort County Board of Voter Registration and Elections voted May 22 to accept a formal request from the Town of Port Royal to transfer authority for municipal elections to the county board.

Marie Smalls presented a letter from the town manager. The board moved to accept the transfer request, subject to required legal steps: Port Royal must adopt an ordinance and the county council must accept the transfer. A board member moved the acceptance; the motion was seconded and carried by voice vote. No roll-call tally was recorded in the transcript.

Board members asked what the transfer would mean operationally. Staff said the county already performs many election functions for municipalities and that the change would shift the certification responsibility (the town's municipal election commission would dissolve and the county board would certify results). Staff also said the town would continue to pay the county to run the election under the proposed arrangement.

The board did not set an implementation timeline during the meeting; staff said they would begin the legal process and follow the ordinance and county-council steps required.