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Written By Vicki Simons
Is participating in Precinct Reorganization worth my time?
Disclaimer
As an upfront disclaimer, in this article, I will be linking to various resources:
- that are not affiliated with Palmetto State Watch Foundation,
- which may have a decided bias, and
- regarding which I encourage you to do your due diligence.
SC State Law and Political Parties
While Precinct Reorganization within South Carolina is not covered in the SC Code of Laws, it is covered by political parties in our state.
According to SCVotes.gov, there are nine Certified Political Parties of South Carolina (listed alphabetically):
- Alliance Party;
- Constitution Party;
- Democratic Party;
- Forward Party (Formerly Independence Party);
- Green Party;
- Libertarian Party;
- Republican Party;
- United Citizens Party; and
- Workers Party (Previously Labor Party).
Political Party Influence
To see which political parties have the most influence in our state, take a look at the parties through which these elected officials ran for office in South Carolina:
- Our 9 Constitutional Officers;
- The 124 members of the SC House of Representatives; and
- The 46 members of the SC Senate.
From these lists, it is obvious that these political parties — in the order listed — have the most influence in South Carolina politics:
Precinct
These links are for site-specific searches for the word “precinct” on the websites of those two parties:
Because I have personally been involved in Republican party precinct reorganizations within Aiken County multiple times, I will provide resources in this article that have come to my attention this year.
According to the 2025 Precinct Reorganization Guide:
“Precinct Reorganization is the first step in the biannual Party Reorganization process. The purpose of Precinct Reorganization is to elect Precinct Officers, County Leadership, and Delegates/Alternates to attend the County Convention. This is the most basic part of the Party organization process. Along with its supporting materials, this document will guide the process of a successful Precinct Reorganization.”
According to Rule 3 of The Rules of the South Carolina Republican Party — amended in 2022 — under Levels of Organization, we read:
| (a) Organization of the party shall be at four levels: (1) the precinct organization; (2) the county organization; (3) the congressional district organization; and, (4) the state organization. (b) Any other Republican organization based upon a geographical area may be established, or altered, only by the State Executive Committee. |
Each of these levels of organization are covered under Rules 4, 5, 6 and 7, respectively.
Precinct Reorganizaton from a Freedom and Liberty Frame of Reference
On February 12, I responded to a post on Telegram about Precinct Reorganization within the South Carolina Republican Party, two points of which the author wrote being summarized as:
- Don’t waste your time with reorg; and
- Nothing will change.
I began my response with, “While I appreciate your perspective, I strongly disagree.”
The following is the content from my reply, with links added and slight edits being made for ease of reading.
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First, I realize that “precinct reorganization” within South Carolina’s county Republican parties is just one slice of any attempt to change how politics are done in our state.
Second, we read in The Declaration of Independence the following:
“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.–That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed,”
So, when anyone affirms his/her Creator-endowed and unalienable rights — in whatever venue he/she finds himself/herself — [he/she] is standing in these truths.
Third, The Constitution of the United States opens with this:
“We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.”
This is gold standard of how to form and run a country.
Many of us recognize that the “Blessings of Liberty” truly come from our Creator, when we follow what He has said.
Fourth, on an annual basis, the South Carolina Comptroller General publishes an Annual Comprehensive Financial Report, the most recent one that I know about covering 2023.
On page 15 of that report, you will see an Organizational Chart for the State of South Carolina that clearly shows South Carolina Voters at the top.
Fifth, similar organizational charts may exist in all 46 counties the way that one does for Aiken County.
The 2024 Organizational Chart for Aiken County, South Carolina, clearly shows Aiken County Voters at the top.
Sixth, there are numerous examples from The Holy Bible of a single person who stood up for what was right, sometimes in the face of great odds.
One of them was Daniel, who stood firm in his conviction to pray to his God, even when he knew that it was “illegal” to do so and what the punishment would be.
Daniel was found “guilty,” was thrown into a den of lions, and God preserved him. Meanwhile, Daniel’s false accusers received the same punishment that they wanted for Daniel, and they died.
Seventh, there are examples throughout history of people who “stood in the gap” against what was wrong, one of whom was William Wilberforce.
According to Wikipedia: “William Wilberforce (24 August 1759 – 29 July 1833) was a British politician, philanthropist, and a leader of the movement to abolish the slave trade.”
Eighth, leadership guru John C. Maxwell said:
“We can either curse darkness or turn on the light. Cursing darkness helps no one but turning on the light transforms people.”
Ninth, maybe getting involved in “party politics” is not right for some people. But it most definitely is right for others.
One source says, “…the Law of Entropy says that when left alone in natural states, eventually everything goes into disorder.”
We have no right whatsoever to expect that things will get better on their own.
Three questions for consideration are:
- “Have things devolved to their current state because I and others have not been involved (or involved enough) up to this point?”
- “What am I willing to do in order to help things get better, both for me and others?”
- “With God as my witness, how will I use the talents, gifts, and abilities that He has given to me to affect positive change in our state today?”
This is not about any single politician, but rather about ordinary people knowing their Creator-endowed and unalienable rights, coming together to “turn on the light,” and doing what they believe honors their Creator in their area.
I encourage everyone reading this to do some serious evaluation of what you’re doing to help increase freedom and liberty in our state.
Galatians 5:1 reads:
“It was for freedom that Christ set us free; therefore keep standing firm and do not be subject again to a yoke of slavery.”
May the Lord grant to all of us wisdom, knowledge, understanding, discernment, and courage to do all that He has called us to do. 🙏🏼
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Where Can I Learn More?
As of this writing, I:
- Found links to county parties on the website for the South Carolina Democratic Party; and
- Did not find links to county parties — or details/links on the “Reorg Dates” page — on the South Carolina Republican Party website.
However, you may be able to find the website — or contact information — for the Republican party in your county by doing a simple Google search.
The dates for Precinct Reorganization in each county within South Carolina — and its associated County Republican Party Convention — occur within a fixed window of time.
So, if you are interested in participating in Precinct Reorganization in 2025, time is of the essence.
Conclusion
For all of these reasons — and because I believe that it is worth our time — I encourage those who care about the future for ourselves, our families, and our state to engage in Precinct Reorganization in 2025.
Other resources published regarding Precinct Reorganization of which I am aware are:
Remember what is written in Proverbs 29:2:
“When the righteous flourish, the people rejoice, but when the wicked rule, the people groan.”
While the writer’s points are all valid, it may be worthwhile to pursue political influence outside of the party organization. I do not say this lightly having been involved in party operations for many years. The fact that the dominant party in SC website does not have any re-org info is disgraceful. It speaks poorly of the leadership that interested persons are left with the option of trying to locate the local party’s website. What this shows is that the party is not interested in gaining new bodies, in spite of often saying they wish to grow the party. So, my advise is to find some worthy organization or candidate to devote your political energy to.