Horry penny vote would fund schools

There are just four days left until Election Day and local election offices are already seeing huge crowds of absentee voters.  In Horry County, one question on the ballot is getting a lot of attention.
   
It’s a yes or no vote on a one-cent local option sales tax for capital improvement projects for education.

According to district officials, if the penny sales tax were to pass, Horry County schools will keep 80% of the more than one billion dollars it is expected to generate.  Coastal Carolina University would receive 13.3% and Horry Georgetown Technical College would receive 6.7%.

The district is billing the vote as one penny, one public, one purpose.  The district has information on its website along with an informational blitz in the schools and across the county.

Robert Rabon, chairman of Committee For The Penny is asking Horry County voters to vote yes for the one-cent sales tax question on the November ballot.

Rabon said he formed the committee because the institutions the money would benefit, cannot ask for your vote.

“They don’t have money for television airtime or ads that says vote for the penny so we formed the committee for a penny just to do that to be able to raise some money.“ said Rabon.

In addition to posting one thousand signs all across Horry County, the committee also distributed flyers.

Rabon said he’s doing what state employees cannot because South Carolina’s ethics commission does not allow them to ask for your vote, they can only provide information.

Anne Monk, with Coastal Carolina University said, “We’ve provided information to our faculty, staff, and students through flyers, we also have a link on the main page of our website that goes to the flyer, it was produced with the Horry county school district.“

Horry school district officials said they’re not asking for you to vote in any particular way, your vote is your business, but they do want to make sure you’re informed about the question on the ballot.