Early voting starts Tuesday for SC primary. What to know in York, Lancaster, Chester
Voters in York, Lancaster and Chester counties can start early voting this week in South Carolina’s 2022 statewide primary.
In early May, S.C. Gov. Henry McMaster signed a bill that established early voting in the state.
Early voting for the state’s June 14 primary began on May 31 and will end on June 10.
The primaries will include contests for governor, state superintendent, Congress, S.C. House seats, and several county council seats. Voters will decide a handful of races that have more than one candidate for a specific party. Primary winners will go on to the general election in November.
Here’s what voters need to know:
Early voting
Any voter can visit an early voting location in their county and cast a ballot like they would on Election Day.
Early voting will be available from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. at local county voter registration offices. York County’s is at 6 South Congress Street in York. Lancaster County’s is at 101 North Main Street in Lancaster. Chester County’s is at 109 Ella Street in Chester.
Lancaster and Chester counties have additional early voting sites.
Lancaster County voters can also early vote at Indian Land High School, 6100 Charlotte Highway in Indian Land. And Chester County voters can also early vote at Richburg Town Hall, 201 North Main Street in Richburg.
Early voting sites will be closed on June 4 and 5.
County-level races
Here are the local races with more than one party candidate.
York County:
Republican Primary
York County Council District 3:
▪ Tommy Adkins (R)
▪ Steve Brown (R)
▪ Brad Lessmeister (R)
The winner will face Democrat Michael Schonfeld in November.
York County Council District 7:
▪ Debi Cloninger (R)
▪ Patrick White (R)
No Democratic candidate has filed to run for the seat.
Lancaster County:
Republican Primary
Probate Judge:
▪ Incumbent Mary Rathel (R)
▪ Crystal Johnson (R)
No Democratic candidate has filed to run for the seat.
County Council District 4:
▪ Rev Johnson (R)
▪ Jose Luis (R)
No Democratic candidate has filed to run for the seat.
Chester County:
Republican Primary
County Council District 1:
▪ John Agee (R)
▪ Nathan Smith (R)
No Democratic candidate has filed to run for the seat.
Democratic Primary
County Council District 5:
▪ Corey Guy (D)
▪ Tammy Williams (D)
No Republican candidate has filed to run for the seat.
County Council At Large:
▪ William King (D)
▪ Alex Oliphant (D)
The winner will face Libertarian David Beverley, Sr. and Republican Erin Mosley in November.
Statewide races
Voters in York, Lancaster and Chester counties will have an array of statewide races to decide, including those for governor, secretary of state, attorney general, state superintendent of education and commissioner of agriculture.
Voters also will also need to vote for seats in the U.S. Senate and U.S. House of Representatives, including the state’s 5th Congressional District. Three candidates filed to run against incumbent Republican Ralph Norman for the seat that represents York, Lancaster and Chester counties.
Two Democrats Kevin Eckert and Evangeline Hundley will face off in the primary. The winner will go on to challenge Norman and Larry Gaither, a Green Party member, in November.
Here’s the S.C. House races voters in the three counties will decide in the statewide Republican primary:
S.C. House of Representatives District 43 (includes Chester and York)
▪ Incumbent Randy Ligon (R)
▪ Mark Corral (R)
No Democratic candidate filed for this seat.
S.C. House of Representatives District 44 (includes Lancaster)
▪ Solomon Goldiamond (R)
▪ Mike Neese (R)
The winner will face Independent Aaron McKinney and Democrat Katie Crosby in November.
S.C. House of Representatives District 46 (includes York)
▪ Barry Baker (R)
▪ Heath Sessions (R)
No Democratic candidate has filed for this seat.
S.C. House of Representatives District 48 (includes York)
▪ Elizabeth Enns (R)
▪ Brandon Guffey (R)
▪ Jamie Michelle Henrickson (R)
The winner will face Democrat Andrew Russell in November.
This story was originally published May 31, 2022 at 1:28 PM.
