Charleston, SC - There’s only one week left until Election Day. Next Tuesday, several lowcountry communities will elect their leaders and it’s gearing up to be a busy day.

Mount Pleasant alone has three mayoral candidates and 19 town council candidates in the running, but will that be enough to get more people out to the polls?

The last presidential election broke records in voter turn out in the lowcountry, but Charleston County Election Commission Executive Director, Marilyn Bowers says city elections usually don’t even compare.

“We hear people say, I only vote in the big election and when they say that they are typically referring to the presidential election and you just want to say, do you not realize the municipal offices, school board, they really affect your daily life, your pocket book,” Bowers said.

But some local races are creating a buzz with voters, like the Mount Pleasant Mayoral race. A standing room packed town hall to hear the three candidates at a League of Women Voter’s forum on Monday night. The crowd was also there to see the nineteen Mt. Pleasant town council candidates. Bowers says the number of candidates and the high profile of this race may help turnout.

“Absentee is heavier than normal. Mt. pleasant is probably leading percentage wise with 10-12 percent with voter turn out with their absentees,” Bowers said. “Typically whatever you see absentee doing is a good indicator of what election day will be, so were excited about the possibility of more voters participating in this election. “

In the last Mount Pleasant mayoral race in 2004, only 8,000 people voted, 26% of registered voters.

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