What organizer John Schafer first called “a crazy idea” has quickly blossomed into a grassroots events to get more candidates on Pickens County ballots this November.

Schafer said he recently had the idea to contact Katrina Shealy, the state Senate candidate who Schafer says was the target of the original lawsuit that resulted in the first round of candidates being kicked off of primary ballots this year, to ask her to come to the Upstate to speak.

“She came back with, 'How quick can you do it?'” Schafer said. “So I started scrambling.

Those efforts, in conjunction with Operation Lost Vote, have resulted in a special event that will be held Saturday, July 7 in the parking lot and grassy area next to Easley First Wesleyan Church.

The event begins at 9:30am and Shealy will speak to the crowd at 10 am.

During the event, petition candidates will be collecting the signatures they need to appear on the November ballots.

The Pickens County Petition candidates, according to the Operation Lost Vote website, are Rex Rice for Senate, Stan Whitten for Sheriff and Chris Bowers for Pickens County Council.

But there could be others, and if so, they're welcome to attend.

“We don't know who all the petition candidates are,” Schafer said. “That's why we wanted to open this up to anybody in Pickens County that's a petition candidate.”

Signatures must come from residents in the districts the candidate is seeking to represent, so petition candidates from outside the Easley area wishing to attend the July 7 event are welcome, but need to get the word out to their districts so that viable signatures can be gathered.

“They'll have to get people from their districts to come,” Schafer said.

The amount of signatures needed before the petition deadline – noon on July 16 – varies depending on the race, Schafer said.

Rice and Whitten each need to get at least 3,400 signatures, he said.

Bowers' county council district is much smaller, so he only needs about 650 signatures, Schafer said.

Food and cold drinks will be served at the event.

For more information, call Schafer at 855-3327.