Greenville city elections: Early voting for mayor, council races opens Monday. What to know.

Early voting for 2023 municipal elections for the city of Greenville begins on Monday, Oct. 23.

Early voting will continue through Friday, Nov. 3 from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Greenville County Square's old building at the Howe Street entrance or City of Greenville Public Works located at 475 Fairforest Way.

Voters can also apply for an absentee ballot by mail by calling the Greenville County Voter Registration and Election Office. The last day for the office to receive a signed absentee application is Friday, Oct. 27, 2023.

During the campaign season, candidates have discussed the importance of voting, as municipal elections consistently have lower turnout than presidential elections.

As previously reported by The Greenville News, in June, just 3,530 people voted in the Greenville mayoral primary election, which is just 6.6% of voters registered in the city. By comparison, in the 2020 general election, 34,917 people in the city of Greenville voted, which was approximately 33% of registered voters.

Here are the candidates on the ballot for the Nov. 7 2023 city of Greenville elections:

Greenville Mayor

Name: Knox White, incumbent

Affiliation: Republican

About Knox White: White seeks his 8th term as mayor, which he says will be his last if elected.

During his 28 years as mayor, he has overseen several major projects, such as removing Camperdown Bridge and building Falls Park, developing Unity Park and orchestrating the Woodruff Road bypass with the county.

"I'm running for mayor to preserve and protect the Greenville we love," White said at a candidate forum on Monday night. "We are an amazingly positive city. We're an amazingly optimistic city. We're not the kind of city that stands in fear of the future."

White previously told the Greenville News he sees himself as the "lead urban planner for the city."

According to White's campaign website, he is running on "protecting and preserving neighborhoods, prioritizing affordable housing, supporting increased pay for police officers and investments in training, balancing the budget, keeping taxes low and expanding green space."

"If people liked the direction of the city, I hope they consider the importance of turning up to turning up for the election," he told the Greenville News.

Name: Michelle Shain

Affiliation: Democrat

About Michelle Shain: White's first Democratic opponent since 2007, Shain was on Greenville City Council as an at-large member from 1999-2007. If elected, she would also be Greenville's first female mayor.

Shain has also worked on some of the projects White did, such as building Falls Park and Liberty Bridge; and the construction of a baseball stadium in the West End. She chaired the economic development committee and oversaw the city's purchase of the Greenville Convention Center.

After two terms, Shain felt her work was done. Since her time as a councilmember, Shain has focused on her work, including running her own public affairs firm, serving as an adjunct professor in USC's college of social work, stepping in as interim executive director of the YMCA and A Child's Haven, and serving as director of philanthropy for Greenville Health System.

Though affordable housing inspired her to run, she is also running on investing in police and fire departments, addressing traffic concerns, protecting green spaces and ensuring support for small businesses.

"If they want their voice to matter, they've got to put people in office who listen, and I want them to go to the polls," Shain said.

See who backs her run: Greenville mayoral candidate Shain gets 8 bi-partisan endorsements.

Greenville City Council At-Large

Name: Dorothy Dowe, incumbent

Affiliation: Democrat

About Dorothy Dowe: She has served on Greenville's City Council since 2019. Dowe also serves as vice mayor-pro tem and also as the council liaison to the Greenville Transit Authority and Greenville Downtown Airport.

Dowe is running on her record, which includes advocating for affordable housing. Other priorities include sustainability, preserving green spaces, developing a high-functioning transit system, investing in infrastructure and ensuring public safety

"I have worked hard for four years to serve my 72,000+ constituents and earn their confidence. I am running on my record and I trust the voters know that I will continue to show up, stand up and represent the interests of all of them," Dowe said in a statement to the Greenville News.

Unique campaign approaches: 2023 elections: Greenville mayor, city council candidates

Name: Randall Fowler

Affiliation: Republican

About Randall Fowler: A first-time candidate, Fowler said he became inspired to run for council after the Board of Zoning Appeals approved a storage facility near his neighborhood, which neighbors were vehemently against.

He is also running on increasing transparency within the council, growing Greenville responsibly, safer neighborhoods and schools, increasing greenspace and improving transportation.

"I'm excited about the opportunity for individuals to be able to cast not only votes on election day but also early voting in whatever form they choose," said Fowler.

City Council District 1

Name: John DeWorken, incumbent

Affiliation: Republican

City Council District 3

Name: Ken Gibson, incumbent

Affiliation: Democrat

Commissioner of Public Works

Name: Phillip Kilgore

Affiliation: Republican

Reach Savannah Moss at smoss@gannett.com or follow her on 'X' @savmoss.

Previous reporting by Macon Atkinson contributed to this story.

This article originally appeared on Greenville News: Early voting opens for Greenville mayor, city council. What to know.