News

A historic election is just days away for the residents of Batesburg-Leesville. Soon voters will go to the polls and select the Town's leaders for the next two years. In any normal year, half of Town Council would be up for election. This year, however, due to a number of vacancies and retirements voters will be selecting candidates for nearly every district. A breakdown of who will be on the ballot this November is below. 

Mayor - Lancer Shull, Charles Simpkins
Council District 1  - Linda DeLoach (this race was removed from ballot by Council in September because only 1 candidate filed for the seat) 
Council District 2 - Olin Gambrell, Tom Mims, Tripp Williamson (this is a Special Election to fill a vacancy)
Council District 3 - Stephen Cain, Gale Gibson
Council District 5 - Shirley Mitchell, Bob Penick
Council District 6 - Jim Mitchell, Tillman Gives (this is a Special Election to fill a vacancy)
Council District 7 - Nicholas Hallman, Jason Prouse 
Council District 8 - Megan Hallman (this is a Special Election to fill vacancy)

Voting Locations: 
Batesburg: Batesburg-Leesville Leisure Center (277 Highland Ave.)
Leesville: Old Leesville Elementary School (423 College St.)

Election Day is Tuesday, November 7th with polls being open from 7am until 7pm. 

Town elections are run and manged by Lexington County Elections Commission. 

NOTICE OF ELECTION FOR AN UNEXPIRED TERM

TOWN OF BATESBURG-LEESVILLE COUNCIL DISTRICT 6

The Town of Batesburg-Leesville will be holding an election on November 7, 2017 to fill an unexpired term in Council District (6).  This election is being held in conjunction with the Batesburg-Leesville General Election, in which voters will also vote for Mayor and Council Districts 2,3,5,7,8.

Filing has closed for Mayor and Council Districts 1,2,3,5,7,8.  Citizens desiring to be candidate for Council District (6) may file at the Lexington County Voter Registration and elections Office 605 West Main st, suite C, Lexington.  Filing is open12:00 noon, October 13, 2017, and remain open during regular business hours and close 12:00 noon, October 20, 2017.  In order to qualify as a candidate for office and have his or her name placed on the ballot, one must be a resident of the Town of Batesburg-Leesville, must live in District 6, be a qualified elector, and have a minimum of 5% qualified signatures on their petition of voters in district 6.

There is no filing fee; blank petition forms may be obtained from on-line at www.scvotes.org or from the Batesburg-Leesville Town Hall. Completed petitions must be filed with the Lexington County Voter Registration and Elections, 605 West Main st, suite C, Lexington by the filing close time.  

The Statement of Economic Interest and the Campaign Disclosure Forms must be completed on-line with the Ethics commission at http://ethics.sc.gov, according to the Ethics required filing time line.

This is a nonpartisan election and no party affiliations shall be placed on the ballot.

For residents registered in the Batesburg precinct, voting will be at the Batesburg-Leesville Leisure Center (227 Highland Avenue).   Residents registered in the Mims precinct, voting will be at the Batesburg-Leesville Leisure Center, (227 Highland Ave).  For residents registered in the Leesville precinct voting will be at the Old Leesville Elementary School (423 College St). 

To register or to update voter registration for Lexington County residents, please contact the Lexington County Voter Registration office at 803-785-8361. To obtain information on absentee ballots, please contact the Lexington County Elections Office at 803-785-8361.     

The polls will be opened November 7, 2017 at 7:00 a.m. and will remain open until 7:00 p.m. without intermission or adjournment, and the poll Managers shall require that each person desiring to vote in this election be qualified to vote in this Council District. 

At 9 a.m. on Election Day, the Lexington County Election Commission will begin examination of the absentee envelopes at 605 West Main St, Suite C, Lexington, SC  29072.

On Thursday November 9, 2017, at 9 a.m. the Lexington County Board of canvassers will hold a hearing to determine the validity of all provisional ballots cast to certify and release the official election results.  This hearing will be at 605 West Main St, Suite 105, Lexington, SC  29072.   

On Monday, September 18th, Council approved its first strategic plan. A culmination of a year's worth of work and effort, the plan provides a blue print for the future of Batesburg-Leesville. This document will serve as the vision and direction for the Town in the years to come. 

Click here to read the plan.

Trash services have been canceled for Monday and Tuesday. Please do not place your trash cans on the curb until your rescheduled day. Trash services will resume on Wednesday on the following schedule.

Wednesday service will be for Monday’s route

Thursday service will be for Tuesday’s route

Friday service will be for Wednesday’s route; and

Saturday service will be for Thursday’s route.

Town Hall will be closed on Monday, September 11th due to deteriorating weather conditions tomorrow with the approach of Hurricane Irma. We will reopen at 8am Tuesday morning. Town council meeting schedule for tomorrow night, has been canceled and rescheduled for Monday, September 18^th at 7pm in Council Chambers.

Thank you and stay safe. 

The Batesburg-Leesville Police Department will be hosting a Concealed Weapon Permit Class in September.

The course consists of two sessions and participants must attend both to complete the program. The first session, the classroom portion, will take place on Thursday, September 28^th, 2017, beginning at 6:30 PM at the Batesburg-Leesville Police Department.  The session will last 4-5 hours.

The second session will be held at the BLPD Firing Range on Saturday, September 30^th at a time to be announced at the end of the classroom session. Participants should be prepared to bring at least 50 rounds of ammunition and an appropriate secure holster for their handgun of choice for the range qualification. Targets, hearing protection and eye protection will be provided.

The cost of the course is $50.00. Applicants are required to register and pay fees at the Batesburg-Leesville Police Department before September 28^th.

The cost associated with and process of applying for the Concealed Weapons Permit with SLED is separate. This course is designed to provide the applicant with the training and materials needed to complete the application process through SLED.

For more information, please contact BLPD at (803) 532-4408. 

Mayor Rita Crapps as issued an Executive Order declaring a State of Emergency for the Town of Batesburg-Leesville. With the arrival of Hurricane Irma likely Monday evening, the Mayor has rescheduled September's Council Meeting from the 11th to the 18th. A copy of the executive order can be found here. 

Due to the resignation of Council Member Jim Wiszowaty, a special election will be held to fill the remaining 2 years of his term. 

Filing for this seat will begin on August 17th and end at noon on September 8th. 

The election will be held with the regularly scheduled general election on November 7th. 

For more information, please click here. 

Thanks.

Every two odd years, town citizens go to the polls to select council members. This year voters will be selecting individuals to fill the following seats: 

• Council District 1 
• Council District 3
• Council District 5
• Council District 7
• Mayor

In addition to the above races, a special election will be held to fill the remaining term of District 2. 

Interested candidates must file with Lexington County Elections Commission (even if they live in the Saluda County portion of town) before noon on Friday, August 25, 2017. 

Petition forms and Statement of Intention of Candidacy are available at Town Hall, but must be submitted to Lexington County Elections Commission by noon on the closing date (above). These forms can be found online here. 

Candidates seeking to run for a district seat or mayor are required to obtain a minimum number of valid signatures. The exact number varies by district, but overall, each candidate for a seat needs to obtain 35 signatures for council districts, and 235 for mayor. Lexington County Election Commission will determine the validity of the signatures submitted. The Town of Batesburg-Leesville uses a petition filing process, therefore, no fees are assessed to run for Town offices. 

Candidates for municipal office must electronically file a Statement of Economic Interest (SEI) through the State Ethics Commission website.  Candidates may also be required to make Campaign Disclosure reports.  Visit the State Ethics Commission website for more information.

Good luck! 

Resources: 

• District Maps
• Lexington County Election Commission
• State Ethics Commission
• South Carolina Election Commission
• Election Handbook - Municipal Association of South Carolina

2017 will be the 28th year of our Annual Auction.  The auction will be held on Saturday August 26th at T&S Farm.  Registration, social networking , and the Silent Auction will begin at 6:00 PM.  The live Auction begins at approximately 7:15 PM.  Tickets, $35 each, include heavy hors d'oeuvres and beverages.  An entertaining and respected auctioneer, Billy Shaw, will bring excitement to the evening.  For information on tickets, sponsorship opportunities, or donations please go to batesburg-leesvillechamber.org, click on Annual Auction in events and download the application.  Sponsors at this time are: SILVER - Town of Batesburg-Leesville, Lexington Medical Center, Mid-Carolina Electric Cooperative; BRONZE-SCE&G, Batesburg Insurance Agency, Oswald Wholesale Lumber, Inc., Economy Furniture, South State Bank, Comporium, Derrick Plumbing, Jerrold A. Watson & Sons, Cal Forrest, First Citizens Bank, Herlong Chevrolet-Buick.