Rock Hill, South Carolina – Close Senate Race Prompts Likely Recount
The race for the South Carolina state Senate District 17 seat is heading toward a recount after a near-tie between the candidates. With only 0.06% separating Republican challenger Everett Stubbs and Democratic incumbent Mike Fanning, the outcome remains uncertain as more ballots are counted.
Who:
Republican candidate Everett Stubbs leads the race, currently holding 49.98% of the votes, while Democratic incumbent Mike Fanning trails closely with 49.92%. The two candidates have a combined total of 55,850 ballots counted so far.
What:
The South Carolina Election Commission has reported a margin of just 32 votes between Stubbs and Fanning, with Stubbs receiving 27,914 votes and Fanning 27,884 votes. State law mandates a recount if the difference is 1% or less after the election results are certified. This process is set to begin on November 14, unless the trailing candidate waives their right to a recount.
Where:
This closely watched race covers much of York County, extending into Rock Hill and York, as well as all of Chester and Fairfield counties and parts of Lancaster County.
When:
Election officials plan to count the remaining provisional ballots on Friday, which may affect the candidate standings before the recount is confirmed. The majority of provisional ballots across the four counties total over 1,200.
Why:
The provisional ballots were issued to voters who encountered issues at the polls, such as lacking proper identification or failing to match their voting precinct with their registered address. Each county’s election board, appointed by the governor, handles the counting process. The breakdown of provisional ballots by county shows that York has 579, Lancaster has 617, Chester has 3, and Fairfield has 22 provisional ballots to examine.
Stubbs, a lawyer running for office for the first time, expressed confidence in the electoral process and emphasized the importance of ensuring every vote is properly counted. He stated, “As much as I want to be a winner, I want our system to work. I trust our system.” On the other hand, Fanning, who has previously held the seat since 2016, echoed similar thoughts on his campaign page, highlighting the narrow margin of the race.
Efforts to contact Fanning directly for comments were unsuccessful as of Wednesday. The upcoming vote tallying of provisional ballots is expected to play a critical role in confirming the official results.
The South Carolina Election Commission, through its spokesman John Michael Catalano, confirmed that District 17 will likely qualify for a mandatory recount based on the current voting results and the regulations governing this electoral process. The decision will rely on the ‘behind’ candidate’s right to waive the recount following the certification of results on Friday.
The uncertainty now looms over both candidates as local residents await the forthcoming vote counts, underscoring the significance of each individual ballot in this tight race.
