What would it take for Myrtle Beach to implement voting districts? Here’s what council said
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The City of Myrtle Beach currently does not have any voting districts. This means that all council members are elected at-large to represent everyone equally within city limits.
Implementing voting districts was discussed in some detail during the last local election cycle. However, they haven’t come to fruition yet.
Some constituents in favor of voting districts have argued that there’s not representation in places where council members don’t live.
Recently at an in-person town hall about pedestrian safety at The Market Common, Mayor Brenda Bethune called the area the “crown jewel of the city.”
County property records for current city council members show that none of them live in the Market Common area or the Arts and Innovation District, which remains a city funding priority.
Within the last year, Bethune put her house up for sale and bought another home in the Grande Dunes area of the city, an area of town where two other council members currently live.
What does the law say about adding voting districts?
According to lead city spokesperson Meredith Denari, changing voting districts isn’t up to local law, but state law, S.C. Code Ann 5-15-30.
“According to state law, the election method can be changed by referendum initiated by petition of 15% of registered voters or by council action,” Denari said in an email to The Sun News.
The procedure for changing the election method is provided in S.C. Code 5-15-30, she explained.
“If City Council decides to change the method of council election and passes an ordinance to do so, the referendum must be held no more than ninety days and no less than thirty days after the second reading of the ordinance,” she wrote. “Council can call a special election at any time.”
Denari said that if City Council wished to change the election method to voting districts, or wards, it would be a delicate process.
Although pre-clearance is no longer required by the Department of Justice, as specified in Shelby County v Holder, 570 U.S. 529 (2013), changing election methods in Myrtle Beach would need a close analysis to ensure minority voting rights aren’t negatively impacted, according to Denari.
“If council calls a referendum to adopt election by wards, the geographic area of each ward would not be drawn until after the referendum,” she said. “A great deal of time and money would be spent to ensure the demographics of each ward satisfied the Voting Rights Act.”
What do current council members think about adding districts?
The Sun News sent an email to city council members asking what they think about voting districts.
Mayor Brenda Bethune wrote that voting districts were discussed among council members with a former city attorney several years ago.
“There are many factors to consider, and some that may have negative impacts on our residents,” she wrote. “I can only share why I believe our current system is more beneficial to our entire City.”
Bethune wrote that the current structure ensures that every member of city council fairly represents the entire city.
“When making decisions, we do so based on what is best for everyone within our city limits. Residents have 7 members of Council representing their best interests vs only having one,” she said. “I think this keeps Council focused on doing what is right for all of our residents rather than what they may think is best for only their district.”
In comparison, Horry County Council has districts. According to District 2’s councilman Bill Howard, that’s because they’re the largest county in the state.
“You’re not comparing apples to apples,” Howard said over the phone on Wednesday when asked about Myrtle Beach’s council having at-large representation. “There’s no way you could be at-large in Horry County.”
He said that for Myrtle Beach it’s not an issue that council members are at-large because it’s a smaller region than Horry County.
Bethune added that there may also be some legal issues that could arise from creating districts in Myrtle Beach, but noted that she “will let our City Attorney address those.”
Myrtle Beach is similar to Loris, Aynor, North Myrtle Beach and Conway in that they all utilize an at-large system for elected council members.
Council member Gregg Smith argued that the issue of establishing voting districts arises with each election cycle.
“During my initial campaign, I liked the idea, and it seemed to resonate with voters. It’s easy to that a change to having voting districts is a better option and something that will make the voters’ lives better,” he wrote in an email to The Sun News. “However, after serving on the council for the past seven years, my enthusiasm for districts has waned. I am concerned that districts could create divisions among different areas of our city, potentially leading to unequal representation for some residents at the city level.”
Smith said that dividing the city into districts would mean residents have fewer representatives on the council to address their issues. Additional challenges he mentioned include the costs and administrative complexities of ensuring equitable district divisions, the risk of gerrymandering, the possibility of residents being represented by an ineffective council member and the potential for uncontested council seats.
“Currently, our at-large election system ensures that each council member is accountable to and dependent on the support of all city residents. If a council member is unresponsive, residents can turn to other representatives,” he said. “Moreover, our elections consistently attract challengers, where the top three vote getters are the ones elected.”
Smith ended his email by saying he is open to reconsidering his position if presented with new information.
“Should compelling evidence emerge demonstrating that districting would significantly benefit our community, I would be happy to lend my support,” he said.
Council member Bill McClure wrote back and said that voting districts are still on his agenda, and he’d be happy to discuss them further.
Mayor Pro Tem Mike Lowder and council members Mike Chestnut, Debbie Conner and Jackie Hatley did not respond to The Sun News’ request for comment for this story.
Editor’s note: This story was updated on 4/15/25 at 2:02 p.m. to reflect that 2 council members and Bethune live in the Grande Dunes area.
This story was originally published April 14, 2025 at 5:00 AM.
