Dear Friends:
Today, I share with you two important topics – the aftermath of the hurricane and the amazing surge in early voting.
First, and most thankfully, Aiken County has weathered the storm. Helene crashed into South
Carolina more than a month ago with hurricane-force winds, and the remnants of the damage are still evident. Trees toppled, homes and vehicles crunched, and power poles tumbled. Worse, twelve deaths in Aiken County are attributed to the storm.
Many Heroes
Calamity often brings the best out of people. As the hurricane blew through and winds were still howling, neighbors armed with chainsaws were clearing neighborhood driveways and streets of downed trees to provide immediate and emergency access. Neighbors helping neighbors is the way of life in friendly South Carolina.
Helene devastated the electrical grid. Some of the massive transmission lines that bring power from the Low Country were downed. Nearly every electrical substation went offline, and Helene felled thousands of power poles across the county. Getting power restored required rebuilding the electrical infrastructure, which is unprecedented.
The heroic efforts of thousands of linemen from here, across the state, and numerous other states had some customers back online within days, but everyone was reconnected by Day 14. It was a Herculean task, and the linemen and support crews from Aiken Electric Cooperative and Dominion Energy deserve our gratitude. It has been suggested they lead the Aiken Christmas parade – a great idea. Most certainly, they are the Heroes of 2024 in Aiken County.
The Quiet Heroes
The quiet heroes of Helene deserve special recognition. Paul Mathews and the Aiken County Emergency Operations Center team coordinated the storm response locally among government agencies, utilities, and humanitarian groups. Their advanced preparedness and around-the-clock work in the aftermath of the storm ensured efficiency in helping citizens through the hurricane and the massive recovery. The same can be said of the South Carolina Emergency Operations Center in West Columbia. That center coordinated the statewide response efficiently.
State agencies responded rapidly to help storm victims. A week after the hurricane, the S.C. Department of Insurance mobilized a two-day Insurance Claims Village in Aldi’s parking lot.
The State also organized TEAM SC DAY in Aiken County. The USCA convocation center was filled with representatives from state agencies and non-profits, as well as thirty FEMA agents who met one-on-one with storm victims, answering questions and signing them up for relief services.
The Faith-based Heroes
The response from Aiken County’s faith-based organizations was immense. They don’t seek accolades but deserve our thanks. Numerous local churches across the county swung into action, delivering humanitarian assistance in multiple ways.
For example, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints brought hundreds of chainsaw crews from Kentucky, Tennessee, Georgia, and Eastern North Carolina to clean up fallen trees and debris from individual properties. Over 1,000 LDS volunteers were in the Aiken/Augusta area that weekend. The 76 teams put in 18,068 hours to help complete 549 work orders. I was fortunate to have the opportunity to thank them during a Sunday church service before they headed out to work.
Local businesses, restaurants, and non-profits stepped up to provide help. All deserve praise.
The local Salvation Army receives my special recognition for its quick response. The Salvation Army filled to capacity its downtown Aiken shelter every night and served more than 22,000 meals in the first eleven days after the storm. Those efforts continued for weeks, with their mobile canteens moving around the county to ensure folks had meals, snacks, drinks, and emotional and spiritual support for those in need.
The Recovery
To those who lost loved ones because of Herlene, please accept our sincere condolences. For those who suffered severe damage to their homes, we pray your recovery is speedy so your lives can find normalcy. The eyesore of downed trees and rubble around the county will take time to remove. It is hoped that within three months, it will be gone. Please be patient. It is a massive task.
A Day That Will Change the World — Nov. 5, 2024
Early Voting Surge
The other significant event underway this month is the Presidential Election. Voters are turning out in record numbers across South Carolina, underscoring the critical importance of voting.

Nearly 31,000 Aiken County voters cast ballots in the first seven days of early voting. That’s more than 36% of the total number of people who voted in the 2020 Presidential Election. If the early voting trend continues, it’s conceivable that 60% of the number of voters in 2020 will have utilized early voting.
One Aiken County voter, who was standing in the long line to vote at the Aiken County Government Center, may have expressed the feelings of many when he said that he didn’t mind the wait because he was “on a mission.” The unprecedented turnout gives rise to the possibility that overall voter turnout in Aiken County this year could top 80 percent of registered voters.
The surge in early voting doesn’t mean there won’t be lines on Nov. 5th because Aiken County has more than 116,000 registered voters. Early voting ends Saturday at 6:00 p.m. Cast your ballot early to reduce the long lines on Election Day. Long wait times can discourage some from voting. Also, waiting to vote on November 5 invites potential obstacles preventing or deterring you from voting, such as illness, childcare issues, transportation problems, severe weather, job obligations, election equipment breakdowns, etc. Help reduce the stress on Election Day and take advantage of the four early voting precincts in Aiken County.
The Voting Challenge
Here’s a reality check – politicians and political parties aren’t going to save our nation. You are.
America is not a true democracy where the majority rules. Our nation’s founders knew that true democracy could result in the evils of mobocracy, a powerful elite class, and possibly dictatorships. That is why they created a Constitutional Republic that puts “We the People” in charge. Simply said, citizens are the boss, and bosses hire their employees (elected officials) to represent them. The hiring takes place on Election Day.
It is incumbent on every voter to size up the current situation and know what a candidate stands for with the expectation that when hired they will follow through with their plan. That is not always easy for voters to determine in advance because of the barrage of political rhetoric, skewed advertising, and disinformation. It takes digging for the truth and discarding the falsehoods.
Voting Your Values
The best place to start is knowing your own values.
That is especially true with Christians in the political arena. I believe Christians should vote with their biblical values at the forefront.
It is estimated that there are more than 80 million Christians in pews on most Sundays. However, only about 30 million VOTE. That means slightly more than one-third of them vote. The others don’t vote, and it is estimated that close to a half the Christians who don’t vote aren’t even registered to vote. Voting is not only our right, but also the obligation of being a good citizen.
Could it be that some Christians distain voting because “politics is a dirty business?” Or have they fallen for the nonsense peddled by atheists that there must be a separation of church and state. That argument has no foundation. The Constitution prohibits the government from establishing a religion or favoring one religion over another. It protects citizens’ right to practice their religion as they please.
Christians need the speak up and show up. If Christians showed up on Election Day, they would be the largest voting bloc in America. I have a notion that America would be set on a better path and have improved values if their voices were heard at the ballot box.
Vote your faith – policies GOD believes in, policies you believe in.
I’m Also Standing for Re-Election
While I am unopposed on the Nov. 5 ballot, I want to make certain the constituents of House District 86 know where I stand. My complete platform is on my website https://taylorschouse.com/issues. It is the honor of my life to serve constituents in the South Carolina House of Representatives.