Mass text impersonates SC candidate, few voting issues reported on primary day, as polls close

The polls have closed on another primary election day in South Carolina. Follow our reporting at thestate.com for full coverage of county council, sheriff, state Legislature and Congressional races from across the Midlands as votes are counted and results are announced.

The outcome of Tuesday’s primary elections will determine which candidates will make it on the ballot for November’s general elections. In fact, many local races are effectively decided in the party primaries.

In addition to local races for county council seats, sheriffs and more, every seat in the S.C. Legislature is up for election this year, as well as South Carolina’s U.S. Congressional seats. In today’s primaries, voters will have choices in races featuring more than one candidate from any party.

In local State House races, one of the most high-profile contests is between state Sen. Dick Harpootlian, D-Richland, and state Rep. Russell Ott, D-Calhoun. These two Democrats are competing to succeed Democratic state Sen. Nikki Setzler in District 26, which covers a mix of urban and suburban areas in Richland and Lexington counties and rural areas of Calhoun County. Harpootlian, whose former district was redrawn into the district with Setzler, hopes to keep a seat in the Senate, while Ott hopes to make a move to the upper chamber from the House of Representatives.

The winner of the Democratic primary will face the winner of the Republican primary — a race between Jason Guerry, Billy Oswald and Chris Smith — and Workers Party candidate Harrold Geddings on the November general election ballot.

Meanwhile, in state Senate District 22, state Sen. Mia McLeod, who ran in the Democratic primary for governor in 2022 and realigned as an Independent after losing in that race, is not running for reelection. Her Richland County seat is being contested by Richland 2 school board member Monica Elkins, Richland County Councilman Overture Walker and state Rep. Ivory Thigpen, D-Richland. The winner of this Democratic primary will face Republican Lee Blatt and Workers Party candidate Gary Votour in November.

For a look at other Midlands state House and Senate primary races, click here.

In Lexington County, there’s a race for sheriff, where incumbent Jay Koon is running against two former department deputies, Alan Driggers and Billy Warren in a Republican primary. The winner of this race will likely decide the new sheriff because there’s no opposing party candidate.

Richland and Lexington county councils both have multiple contested races on today’s ballots.

For information about polling places and which races will be on your ballot, visit scvotes.gov.

Check back here throughout the day for updates on all things related to primary elections and voting throughout the Midlands.

4:30 p.m.

There have been reports of a mass text going around Spartanburg County that appeared to be impersonating Spartanburg County Voter Registration Offices, according to state Election Commission spokesman John Michael Catalano.

The text said that Republican state Rep. Rob Harris was intimidating voters at polling precincts and to call Spartanburg County Elections with any reports of intimidation, according to Catalano.

Catalano confirmed that the text message, in fact, did not come from the county and that the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division was notified.

Harris did not respond to calls from The State regarding the text message.

1 p.m.: State senate candidate drops campaign

Republican Lee Blatt, running in state Senate District 22, withdrew before Tuesday’s primary. The winner of the Democratic primary in the northeast Richland County district will face Gary Votour of the Workers Party in November. The Democratic candidates are state Rep. Ivory Thigpen, Richland County Council member Overture Walker and Richland District 2 board member Monica Elkins.

Blatt was the only Republican who filed in the district.

12:30 p.m.: 4% turnout so far in Richland, Lexington counties

Both Richland and Lexington counties have only seen about a 4% voter turnout, according to Richland County elections Director Travis Alexander and Lexington County elections Director Lenice Shoemaker.

“We’ve been a little disappointed with the turnout,” Shoemaker said.

Only 47 out of 1,262 registered voters have come out to vote in the West Columbia I precinct, located at Brookland United Methodist Church, according to a poll manager.

Poll workers are hopeful that more voters will come out after work and around dinner time.

No major issues have been reported statewide, according to state Election Commission spokesman John Michael Catalano.

“The biggest problems we’ve faced were a couple of poll managers not showing up,” Catalano said.

Calhoun County has seen a bit higher of a voter turnout at 6%. Voters in all three counties, Richland, Lexington and Calhoun, will be selecting a Democratic nominee for Senate District 20.

9:30 a.m.

Voting seemed to be going smoothly across the state Tuesday morning, with only a few minor issues.

Richland County elections Director Travis Alexander said some poll workers had to be shifted to new polling locations because of illness and “normal life problems.”

“Others stepped up to the plate, though,” Alexander said. “There are some people in Richland County that love democracy.”

Some voters in the Gregg Park precinct were having difficulty finding where to vote at A.C. Flora High School. The precinct normally votes at Shandon Baptist Church, but the location was shifted to Flora for Tuesday’s primaries. There was no clear signage directing voters where to vote on the school’s property. Voting takes place in the back of the school, off Brentwood Drive, in the auditorium.

No problems were reported in Lexington County, according to county elections Director Lenice Shoemaker.

“It’s a little bit slower than we had hoped,” Shoemaker said. “The polls are open and we are ready for people to come out and vote.”

In York County, a polling location experienced a gas leak and had to switch locations, according to SC Election Commission spokesman John Michael Catalano.