What happened when a Pickens election officer criticized candidates? Yup, he lost his job. (2024)

PICKENS— A little over a week before the June 11 Republican primary, Luke Campbell offered some thoughts during the public comment section of a Pickens County Council meeting.

Voters hadn’t forgotten that three incumbents on the ballot spent taxpayer funds on “vacation” to Germany, “unethically” raised their taxes and support "the destructive direction of the library," he said as he questioned their actions and motivations for running.

The problem is that Campbell, as of June 3, was a board member on the Pickens County Registration and Elections Commission that certifies the election results— and he clearly had favorites, as heard in the audio recording reviewed by The Post and Courier.

In his resignation letter, Campbell said he was reading the comments on behalf of his wife, Kathleen, who donated to the campaign of one challenger. Campbell said a last-minute emergency involving a dog bite prevented his wife from attending the council meeting.

“Reading what my wife had written was nothing but factual and truthful … but also mentioned some council members by name, some of whom were up for election,” he wrote.

In his hurry to deliver the comments and return home, he “never gave a second thought” to his board membership and admits that was a mistake.

Election board members are prohibited from participating in political campaigns, condemning or condoning candidates and elected officials, and are appointed to four-year terms by the governor.

Campbell’s appointment began Sept. 1, 2022. His resignation creates a second vacancy on the Pickens County body. A third seat is held by a member whose term ended March 31 and has yet to be reappointed or replaced, said Pickens County Elections Director Amy Sams.

State Sen. Rex Rice, R-Easley, received complaints following the June 3 council meeting and spoke with Campbell about his role on the board.

There’s a bit of fuzziness in regulating the conduct of commissioners’ behavior during election season, and those requirements need to be clarified statewide, Rice said.

State code says members of local elections boards cannot participate in political management or campaigns when they have jurisdiction over the election.