Opinion

 – By G. Miller Thompson –

Tuesday, June 10 marks an important day in South Carolina politics. While talking with people across the county, I have noticed how truly confusing our primary process is. So, I want to utilize this week’s article as a means of attempting to clear up any confusion.

As we approach the primary, it is important to note that you may only vote in the Republican primary or the Democrat primary. You cannot vote in both. There are several individuals who typically vote Republican but may be looking to vote in the Democrat primary in order to impact local elections. This next part is important: If you vote in the Democrat primary, you will not be able to vote in a Republican runoff on June 24.

For clarification, a runoff occurs when no single candidate receives at least 50% of the vote. In the Republican primary, voters have a choice between 4 candidates for Lieutenant Governor, 2 for Treasurer, 8 for Superintendent of Education, 2 for Adjutant General, 2 for Commissioner of Agriculture, 7 for Graham’s Senate seat, and 2 for Scott’s Senate seat. A runoff is most likely for Superintendent of Education and may happen for Senator Graham’s seat. In any of these races, if one candidate does not win 50% of the vote, the top two finishers will face off in a runoff on June 24.

To be fair, in the Democrat primary there are 4 candidates for Superintendent of Education, 2 for Senator Graham’s seat, 3 for Senator Scott’s seat, 2 for Representative Duncan’s seat (SC-03), and 2 for Probate Judge (winner will face a Libertarian candidate in November).

The primary is only six days away and your voice is extremely important, particularly in the Superintendent and Senate races where there are so many candidates to choose from. If you have not made a decision about who you will support, please take these next few days to research the candidates. A sample ballot can be found online at scvotes.org. For convenience, I will include the names of candidates in the big races at the conclusion of this article.

Casting a ballot is one of the most sacred rights we hold as Americans. It is our civic duty to cast a vote and make our voice heard. Between now and next Tuesday, I hope you will ensure that everyone you know takes part in this primary election. Remember: if you don’t vote, you can’t complain!

US Senate
Republican Primary: Det Bowers, Lee Bright, Richard Cash, Bill Connor, Benjamin Dunn, Lindsey Graham (incumbent), Nancy Mace
Democrat Primary: Brad Hutto, Jay Stamper

State Superintendent of Education
Republican Primary: Sally Atwater, Gary Burgess, Meka Childs, Amy Cofield, Sheri Few, Don Jordan, Elizabeth Moffly, Molly Spearman,
Democrat Primary: Montrio Belton, Sheila Gallagher, Jerry Govan, Tom Thompson

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The views and opinions expressed here are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of The Edgefield Advertiser.

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