York County Council incumbents grab early leads as voting results come in
Polls are closed and returns are coming in for Republicans looking to serve York County Council’s largest and fastest growing districts.
York County Council had two seats on the primary ballot Tuesday. Both were Republican contests. Incumbent Debi Cloninger faced a challenge from Scott Couchenour in Dist. 7, covering much of Fort Mill. In western York County, Dist. 3 incumbent Tommy Adkins saw two challengers in Stephanie Brown and Brad Sims.
Early voting put Cloninger ahead of Couchenour by a 67% to 33% margin. No Election Day results have been posted in this race. All results are unofficial.
In District 3, Adkins (68%) leads Sims (20%) and Brown (13%) with 14 of 19 precincts reporting.
Voter turnout across York County was 20% for the primary election, the county elections office posted at about 7:30 p.m. That’s nearly 42,000 ballots cast.
York County Council Dist. 7
Dist. 7 covers the fast-growing part of Fort Mill east of Interstate 77. It borders both Indian Land in Lancaster County and Charlotte. The district includes unincorporated Fort Mill areas from Carowinds to the Dobys Bridge Road corridor.
In addition to growth issues from decades of population increase, Dist. 7 also is home to one of the most contentious public debates in recent years—the location of Silfab Solar.
Both candidates agree the Canadian solar panel company shouldn’t be allowed to manufacture at its light industrial Logistics Lane property, though York County has repeatedly affirmed it should.
Residents have voiced concerns to York County Council for several years related to chemical uses in the manufacturing process, stating there’s danger when Silfab is located beside Flint Hill Elementary School.
The company has stated it follows all local, state and federal safety laws. Even two chemical release incidents in March were small and confined to the site, never posing a public health risk, according to the company.
York County Council Dist. 3
Dist. 3 is York County’s largest geographic district, covering nearly the western half of the county. It’s a mostly rural area but has seen population growth in recent years in and around York. Candidates there face growth and development questions as the area begins to transition from farmland to, in places, a more suburban setting.
In South Carolina primaries, a candidate has to get a majority of votes to win a race. If no candidate gets more than half of the votes cast, the two candidates with the most votes advance to a runoff two weeks after the primary.
The York County Board of Voter Registration & Elections will hold a hearing Thursday to canvass votes. That board will determine if a recount or runoff is necessary.
A recount would happen June 23.
If it includes the governor’s race or another statewide contest, all precincts will be open. If it’s a federal House or county council district, only precincts in the impacted area will open for the runoff.
Fall general election races take shape
The only other Rock Hill region county council race on Tuesdays’ ballot was a Republican contest between David Morton and Erin Mosley for an at-large seat in Chester County. The winner of that primary moves on to face Democrat William King in November.
Morton defeated Mosley 57% to 43% with all 21 precincts reporting, according to unofficial results. More than 2,800 votes were cast. Chester County had a voter turnout of more than 27%.
Chester County will have all the intrigue left at the general election, with all three of the region’s contested county council races. In addition to the at-large seat, Republican John Agee will face Democrat Felicia Stevenson for Dist. 1. Democrat Corey Guy will take on Republican Roxann James in Dist. 5.
Republican Roy Brunson will run unopposed in Chester County for the Dist. 2 seat.
In York County, Democrat William “Bump” Roddey will run unopposed in Dist. 4. So will Tuesday’s Republican winners in Dist. 3 and Dist. 7.
In Lancaster County, all three Lancaster County Council candidates ran unopposed in their primaries. They’ll all run unopposed in the general election this fall, too. Democrat Charlene McGriff in Dist. 2 returns alongside Republicans Jose Luis in Dist. 4 and Bryant Neal in Dist. 6.
This story was originally published June 9, 2026 at 8:03 PM.