Board of Voter Registration and Elections of Beaufort County Director Marie S. Smalls was recently elected president of the South Carolina Association of Registration and Elections (SCARE). Her term is two years. She is certified as a Registration and Elections Administrator from the National Association of Election Officials and is also state certified by the South Carolina Election Commission. Smalls has been with the organization for 16 years. 

“I am humbled that the membership of this association has entrusted me to be their President for the next two years,”  Smalls said.  “It’s not about me, or any one County, it is about the voters of our great state and conducting elections with integrity, transparency, and instilling voter confidence in our voter registration process. It’s a tremendous responsibility and I look forward to a successful two year term,” Smalls continued. “It is also imperative that we continue to fulfill our obligation to ensure that all qualified voters have an opportunity to participate in fair and free elections.”

Mrs. Smalls has been employed in Beaufort County government nearly thirty-nine years.  She began her career with Beaufort County as a Human Resources Specialist and eventually became Human Resources Director before changing professions.  In 2005, she served as the Deputy Director for the Board of Voter Registration and Elections of Beaufort County; she was appointed Director in 2013.

SCARE is an affiliate member of the South Carolina Association of Counties, with a membership of over four hundred voter registration and election officials from across the state. It was organized in 1975 by a group of election officials to provide a forum for counties' voter registration and election officials to study, discuss, and recommend improvements in voter registration and election laws; to exchange ideas and experiences; to promote and encourage education for officials; to distribute information regarding voter registration and election laws; and to promote legislation which will endorse and enhance the efficiency of the registration and election process in South Carolina.