Letter To The Editor: In My Opinion

For many years, as a member of the Charleston County Board of Elections and Voter Registration (BEVR), I asked on more than one occasion, that the staff and poll managers should always reflect diversity, inclusion and equity. That has yet to happen. We have never had a board, or a director, who has seen diversity, inclusion and equity as important, much less a priority. As the years have progressed, not much has changed.
Some time ago, for even suggesting we put minorities in management positions of leadership and authority, such as deputy director, I was referred to as a racist and a bigot by a current board member, with another member seeming to agree, as they both walked out of the meeting!

For most who are of a minority race, it is reassuring to see and interact with people who look like them and who perhaps have a better understanding of the minority race and its’ culture. The director has hired friends, acquaintances and/or associates whose skills and experiences may be questionable, and placed them in positions that will provide upward mobility, if not in Charleston, then elsewhere. This has been an ongoing “policy” of this and former directors. None of these “upward mobility hires” have been of the minority race.

Some of the current and new staff members do not have a clue about the customs and culture of Charleston, much less how to manage, operate and perform the functions of an election office and an election. Many, including the director, exercise very little customer service skills.

Some BEVR folks who are in managerial positions have neither the capacity, the election experience, nor training background to serve in those positions. The State Election Commission provides training. That training is after these folks are hired. However, because the current board allows an individual who “talks” a good game to be in charge, we see the staff getting “whiter and whiter,” with no one of color in a real position of authority.

The director brought in an individual with no prior election experience, to be his deputy rather than fill the position from within. A qualified and capable minority staff member, who was willing and able, should have been considered and given the position.
The Board of Elections and Voter Registration has been able to dodge any serious bullet because of the dedicated, committed, and capable work of the staff it once had. Regrettably, that experienced, skilled and capable staff member has been largely decimated by the director and his new deputy. There appears to exist a toxic and hostile work environment in the elections office that has been created by the new management regime.

Charleston County and the Legislative Delegation should not be deceived into believing there is any true form of diversity, inclusion and equity that exists in the elections office. There may be the “fronting” of minorities in so called “managerial positions,” however, they have no real decision-making authority or power to make significant managerial decisions or changes.

This exclusion of minorities in roles that allow for upward mobility in the elections field, and gives them the power to make meaningful decisions and have important and regular input into the operations of the Charleston County Board of Elections and Registrations office is unacceptable, unfair and it is not right.

Yours truly,

Carolyn E. Lecque