June 9, 2020 10:00AM
(Greenville SC) - Primary election day is going to look a little different in South Carolina because of COVID-19.
Nearly 250 polling places across the state, including some upstate precincts, have been relocated because some buildings were still closed amid the pandemic or their owners did not want to risk hosting large groups of voters in them. For a list of the polling location changes click HERE.
State election officials are asking voters to bring your own pen to sign in and wear a mask if you have one, but it is not required to vote. You are also asked to be patient with poll workers and practice social distancing.
Officials say returns will likely take longer to count because workers will have to scan in more than 120,000 mailed-in absentee ballots after lawmakers in Columbia allowed unrestricted absentee voting for the primaries because of the pandemic. Polls close at 7PM, but if you are in line by then, you will still be allowed to vote.
1063 WORD will have results both on-air and on-line as they become available this evening.
US Senate
There is only one statewide office being contested in the Republican primary with incumbent Senator Lindsey Graham facing three GOP challengers: attorney Duke Buckner, entrepreneur and author Michael LaPierre and Navy veteran and former chief engineer for the US Merchant Marine Joe Reynolds.
The winner of the Republican primary will face former SC Democratic Party Chairman Jamie Harrison, Constitution Party candidate Bill Bledsoe and either Libertarian Party Candidate Keenan Wallace Dunham or David Weikle, once the party holds its convention to select their nominee.
Advisory Questions
There will also be a pair of advisory questions on the GOP primary ballot. The first question deals with registration party:
“Do you support giving voters the right to register to vote with the political party of their choice?”
This question has long been a contentious issue with county parties as well as the state party demanding this change in South Carolina election law for years, but elected officials in Columbia have stymied every effort brought before the state legislature.
The second advisory question deals the number of times a candidate name may appear on a ballot when the candidate is the nominee of more than one party:
“Should candidates for public office be limited to having their names listed only once on a ballot for any office in each general election (rather than current law, which allows their name to appear multiple times by representing multiple political parties for the same office)?”
The practice, also referred to as fusion voting, has been a frequent tactic used by liberal candidates who are Democrat Party nominees and also endorsed by the like-minded parties such as the Working Families Party.
Whatever the outcome on the advisory questions, the results have no rule of law and resemble more of an opinion poll of voters to advise Republican legislators.
Anderson County Primary Races
Democratic Nomination for US House of Representatives District 3
Hosea Cleveland
Mark Welch
Republican Nomination for SC State Senate District 3
Richard Cash (Incumbent)
Craig Wooten
Republican Nomination for SC State House District 8
Jonathan Hill (Incumbent)
Vaughn D. Parfitt
Republican Nomination for SC State House District 10
West Cox (Incumbent)
Mark Durham
Republican Nomination for Anderson County Sheriff
Chad McBride (Incumbent)
Brandon Surratt
Republican Nomination for Anderson County Council District 2
Larry Ray Bright
David Standard
Republican Nomination for Anderson County Council District 5
Tommy Dunn (Incumbent)
Christine Shirley
Republican Nomination for Anderson County Treasurer
Van James
Jason R. Phillips (Incumbent)
Greenville County Primary Races
Democratic Nomination for US House of Representatives District 3
Hosea Cleveland
Mark Welch
Republican Nomination for SC State Senate District 5
Tom Corbin (Incumbent)
Dave Edwards
Democratic Nomination for SC State Senate Ditrict 7
Karl B. Allen (Incumbent)
Fletcher Smith
Republican Nomination for SC State Senate District 8
Janice S. Curtis
Ross Turner (Incumbent)
Republican Nomination for SC State Senate District 12
Mark Lynch
Scott Talley (Incumbent)
Republican Nomination for SC State House District 10
West Cox (Incumbent)
Mark Durham
Republican Nomination for SC State House District 18
Sam Manley
Tommy Stringer (Incumbent)
Democratic Nomination for SC State House District 25
Adriene Atkinson
Leola Simpson
Bruce Wilson
Republican Nomination for SC State House District 35
Chris Bennett
Bill Chumley (Incumbent)
Garey Collins
Republican Nomination for Greenville County Council District 20
Christy Cates Bright
Steve Shaw
Republican Nomination for Greenville County Council District 21
Chris Harrison
Stacy Kuper
Rick Roberts (Incumbent)
Republican Nomination for Greenville County Council District 22
Kenneth Cosgrove
Stan Tzouvelekas
Republican Nomination for Greenville County Coroner
B. Park Evans (Incumbent)
Stacey Owens
Oconee County Primary Races
Republican Nomination for Oconee County Sheriff
Mike Crenshaw (Incumbent)
Amanda Tinsley
Republican Nomination for Oconee County Council District 2
Matthew Durham
Josh Roberts
Republican Nomination for Oconee County Council District 4
Jack T. Collins
Julian Davis III
Republican Nomination for Oconee County Council District 5
James Glenn Hart
Lee Richardson
Pickens County Primary Races
Democratic Nomination for US House of Representatives District 3
Hosea Cleveland
Mark Welch
Republican Nomination for SC State House District 3
Phillip Bowers
Jerry Carter
William Masters
Republican Nomination for SC State House District 5
Neal Collins (Incumbent)
David Cox
Allan Quinn
Republican Nomination for SC State House District 10
West Cox (Incumbent)
Mark Durham
Republican Nomination for Pickens County Sheriff
Rick Clark (incumbent)
David Harrison
Republican Nomination for Pickens County Council District 3
Debbie Gravely
Wes Hendricks (Incumbent)
Tom Robinson
Alex Saitta
Republican Nomination for Pickens County Council District 6
Derrick Craft
Darrel Gibbs
Henry Wilson
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