Vote 2022: A Guide to the November Races in Lexington County

The Chronicle has assembled a guide to what will be on ballots in Lexington County in the November election. Find the full guide at lexingtonchronicle.com.

It’s almost time for midterm elections in America, but for Lexington County, there’s a lot more on the line than the balance of power in the U.S. Congress.

Here, voters will decide whether to support a penny tax for local road improvements, take part in determining who will be in residence in the governor’s mansion and who will represent the county in the U.S. House of Representatives, and parse their opinions about the candidates in some crowded and noisy school board races.

The Chronicle assembled this guide to help inform you before you head to the polls — both about the candidates and questions on the ballot and about how you can go about voting.

Make your voice heard. And wear that “I Voted” sticker with pride.  — Jordan Lawrence

How to Vote

This is the first general election in South Carolina since no-excuse early voting was instituted this summer, with each county required to have at least one site for voters to cast their ballots before election day.

Lexington County has five early voting sites that will be open Oct. 24-Nov. 5, from 8:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Saturday. They are:

• County Voter Registration and Elections Office, 605 West Main St., Room 130, Lexington

• Midlands Technical College (Batesburg-Leesville Campus), 423 College St., Batesburg-Leesville

• Midlands Technical College (Harbison Campus), 7300 College St., Irmo

• Pelion Branch Library, 206 Pine St., Pelion

• West Columbia Community Center, 754 B. Ave., West Columbia

On election day, Nov. 8, polls in South Carolina are open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Lexington County residents who need info about their polling location can reach out to the county’s Registration & Elections Office — lex-co.sc.gov/departments/registration-and-elections, lshoemaker@lex-co.com, (803) 785-8361.

If a runoff in any race is required, early voting will run Wednesday, six days prior to election day, through Friday, four days prior to election day.

The Sumter Item, sister paper to the Chronicle, reached out with questions to the candidates for the top statewide offices up for grabs during this election. Below you will find a brief recap of their responses, which can be found in full at bit.ly/itemvoterguide. — JL

Prominent Statewide Races

Governor

Joe Cunningham is the Democrat challenger in the gubernatorial race. He served one term in the U.S. Congress before being defeated in his 2020 bid for reelection by then state Rep. Nancy Mace.

He told The Sumter Item that as governor he would emphasize “fight[ing] to protect medical freedom by vetoing any bill that would limit abortion,” “increasing teacher pay and improving education ... increas[ing] salaries for teachers and aides by 10% and increas[ing] the starting salary from $36,000 to $50,000 by 2030” and “creating new streams of revenue for our state by legalizing marijuana and sports betting.”

Republican Gov. Henry McMaster is running for a second and final full term after taking office in 2017 when he was elevated from Lieutenant Governor upon Nikki Haley’s departure to become U.S. ambassador to the United Nations. He previously served as U.S. attorney for the District of South Carolina, chair of the state Republican Party and state attorney general.

McMaster and challengers Bruce Reeves (Libertarian) and Gary Votour (Labor) didn’t respond to The Item’s election questionnaire. — JL

State Superintendent of Education

Republican Ellen Weaver has never run for political office before. She is the founding president and CEO of Palmetto Promise and a former chair of the Education Oversight Committee.

In her responses to The Item she emphasized improving the way S.C. schools work on children’s basic math and reading skills; supporting teachers, principal and school staff by “simplifying standards and cutting bureaucratic red tape ... and continu[ing] to raise teacher pay” and restor[ing] parental trust by insisting on total transparency for all materials and resources used with students and empower[ing] teachers and parents to speak up against any political indoctrination in South Carolina schools,while teaching complete and accurate history.”

Candidates Lisa Ellis (Democratic) and Patricia Nickel (Green) did not submit responses. — JL

U.S. Senate

Neither Democrat Krystle Matthews nor incumbent Republican Tim Scott submitted responses.

Matthews has served in the state House of Representatives since 2018 and is the first Black woman to represent the 117th district.

Tim Scott is a ranking member of the Senate Aging Committee and has served in the Senate since 2013. He was previously a member of the U.S. House of Representatives and the S.C. House of Representatives. He is the first Black person to have served in both chambers of the U.S. Congress. — JL

Other Statewide Races

Secretary of State

• Rosemounda Peggy Butler (Democrat)

• Mark Hammond (Republican - Incumbent)

Secretary of Agriculture

• David Edmond (Green)

• Chirs Nelums (United Citizens)

• Hugh Weathers (Republican - Incumbent)

Uncontested Races

State Attorney General

• Alan Wilson (Republican)

State Comptroller General

• Richard Eckstrom (Republican)

State House of Representatives

• District 39 — Cal Forrest
(Republican)

• District 40 — Joe White (Republican)

• District 69 — Chris Wooten
(Republican)

• District 71 — Nathan Ballentine
(Republican)

• District 86 — Bill Taylor
(Republican)

• District 87 — Paula Rawl Calhoon (Republican)

• District 89 — Micah Caskey
(Republican)

• District 96 — Ryan McCabe
(Republican)

Soil and Water Commission

• Kathryn Hensley

• Brad Sease

Lexington County School District 3 Board of Trustees

The board overseeing schools in Batesburg-Leesville two has seats up for election with both incumbents, Frances Bouknight and Cheryl Burgess, running for another term.

Bouknight is looking to serve a second term, while Burgess is after a fifth term. 

With no other candidates competing for a seat, there is no competition. 

Bouknight, a retired educator, has worked for the district 42 years, having begun her teaching career there while student teaching. Her ties to the Batesburg-Leesville area include children who graduated from Batesburg-Leesville High School. She also has a grandchild who has graduated from District 3 and one currently enrolled in the district.

Even though Bouknight retired, she said still wanted to commit to educational excellence, which is why she is committed to continue serving on the school board.

She intends to advocate for District 3 by staying involved in the South Carolina School Boards Association through participation in workshops, conferences and the Boardmanship Institute, efforts to stay up to date on state and federal laws and regulations that impact the district.

“It is my goal to represent the Batesburg-Leesville community and to make sound decisions that will provide the best educational opportunities for our students,” Bouknight said.

Bouknight feels a big issue in her district, along with the entire state, is recruiting, hiring and retaining highly qualified and motivated certified and noncertified staff.

“Employees are the force that directly affects the main objective of our district to educate our children,” Bouknight said, “There is a growing teacher shortage in our state and it is very difficult to locate teachers for specialized areas such as mathematics, science and special education. Also it is a challenge to fill positions of support staff. Improved salary scales for classroom teachers and support staff are a major factor for the recruitment and retention of qualified personnel. If the salary scales were more in line with other districts, the retention of our dedicated employees may yield the best staff for our children.”

Burgess also grew up locally and graduated from Batesburg-Leesville High School, as did her children and son-in-law. 

The family ties continue with her three grandchildren, who currently attend schools in District 3.

“This is home for me and I am passionate about providing the students in our district an opportunity to succeed when they graduate from our high school,” says Burgess. 

Burgess is a retired optician from Columbia Eye Clinic and currently works part time with Shealy Realty in Batesburg-Leesville. She believes an important issue is getting students back on track after the COVID-19 pandemic and says the new report cards offer a more precise, student-based tracking of improvement.

Her intentions for running another term include preparing students for the future and addressing the needs of the faculty and staff. She believes the new CTE (Career and Technology Education) facility will help keep career and technical education a vital and essential part of the district. 

Burgess also is a member of the state School Boards Association and has served on several national school board committees.

“My experience and partnerships with state and national boards will give me insight in guiding our district to move forward with education in the upcoming years,” Burgess said, adding she has formed valuable relationships with many legislators in the district and statewide related to public education and funding. — Natalie Szrajer

Lexington County School District 4 Board of Trustees

Lexington County School District 4’s board has three seats open for the upcoming term with two incumbents (Brad Frick and Zachary Smith) running and a new candidate (Quincy Sutton) looking to serve. 

District 4 covers the rural areas of Swansea and Gaston. 

The Chronicle reached Frick ahead of the November election.

He is the current chair of the board and the owner of Par Golf Academy. As a graduate of Swansea High School and with two children in the district, he said he feels it is his civic responsibility to serve the people and the area he loves.

Since first being elected in 2014, he has seen the passage of a bond referendum to build the Performing Arts Center, upgrade athletic facilities and add additional career and technology programs for students. He was also part of the process to hire the current superintendent, Robert Maddox. 

He said he makes it a point to speak with teachers, students and staff on a regular basis to see if their needs are being met and continues to work with leaders on the state level, in the community and with the citizens in the district. — NS

Lexington County Council

• District 2 — Larry Bringham

• District 7 — Beth Carigg

• District 8 — Glen Conwell

• District 9 — Todd Cullum

Lexington County Probate Judge

• Dan Eckstrom (Republican)

Watershed Conservation District, Hollow Creek

• Tony Rhoden

• Jeff Rikard