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Special Primary Election for S.C. House of Representatives District 121

COLUMBIA, SC - A Special Primary Election for S.C. House of Representatives District 121 will be held on Tuesday, June 28, 2005. District 121 includes some voters in Beaufort and Colleton counties. The South Carolina State Election Commission will post the unofficial results of the Special Primary Election here after the polls are closed and the unofficial results in both counties have been tallied.

Phil Leventis Declared Winner In Senate District 35

Columbia, SC: The State Election Commission has declared Phil Leventis(D) the winner in Senate District 35 after a recount was conducted this morning. Senate District 35 incorporates parts of Lee and Sumter counties.

The State Election Commission ordered a recount after election results determined there was a one percent difference in the total votes cast between the two candidates for the office. On Election night, Dickie Jones(R) received 1,688 votes in Lee county and 13,889 votes in Sumter County for a combined total of 15,577 votes. Phil Leventis(D) received 1,431 votes in Lee County and 14,201 votes in Sumter County for a combined total of 15,632 votes. After the recount today, Dickie Jones picked up one additional vote in Lee County and lost 124 votes in Sumter County to bring his final election count to 15,454. Phil Leventis did not gain or lose any votes in Lee County and lost 92 votes in Sumter to bring his final election count to 15,540. Sumter County did not explain the loss in votes for both candidates.

Lee County uses the optical scan voting machine and Sumter is the only county in the state using punchcards.

State Election Commission Orders Recount For Senate District 35

Columbia, SC: State Election Commissioners met at 10:00am today to certify the November 2, 2004, General Election results for all federal, statewide and multi-county offices. The Commission ordered a recount for Senate District 35 to be conducted on Friday, November 12, 2004, at 9:00am. Senate District 35 incorporates parts of Lee and Sumter counties. Candidates involved in that race are Dickie Jones (R) and Phil Leventis (D).

Recounts are mandated when there is a one percent difference in the total votes cast between two candidates for one office. In this case, Dickie Jones received 15,577 votes and Phil Leventis received 15,632 votes. Since there is less than a one percent difference (312.09) between the two candidates, a recount is automatic.

The Commission has authorized the Executive Director to certify the recount on Friday, November 12, 2004, at 2:00pm.

Official results

Nov. 3 Afternoon Update On Election Process In

Columbia, SC – South Carolina voter turnout was approximately 10 percent higher yesterday than in the 2000 presidential election cycle. The high turnout created long lines at some polling places, but the state election system ran smoothly throughout the day. The last polling location, at Rice Creek Elementary School in Richland County, closed at approximately 10:30 p.m. Tuesday.

“The turnout was fantastic – approximately 70 percent of registered voters cast ballots – and we thank every voter for their patience and participation.” said Marci Andino, executive director of the South Carolina State Election Commission. “There were some temporary delays at a few polling locations, which is not surprising given the turnout and all the new procedures we were implementing, but overall the voting process worked very well. Our poll workers did a great job. ”

Andino said that approximately 5,000 new electronic touch screen voting machines were used in 15 South Carolina counties yesterday and no significant problems were reported.

Late Afternoon Update On Election Process In South Carolina

COLUMBIA, S.C. – South Carolina’s election process continues to proceed smoothly as the state experiences record voter turnout.

“The turnout has been very strong,” said Marci Andino, executive director of the South Carolina State Election Commission. “We do not have official numbers yet, but every county has reported a higher than normal turnout. As expected, we had some minor issues as we got systems up and running statewide this morning but, since mid-morning, everything has been operating smoothly.”

A few counties experienced some temporary delays in opening polls and individual voting machines, Andino said, and some voters briefly used paper ballots in order to keep the voting process moving forward.

“Given the broad range of new processes and procedures we began using with this election cycle, it has been a remarkably normal Election Day,” Andino said. “Our voting machines, including the new touch screen machines, have been working well and our 14,000 poll workers have done a great job managing the crowds and the inevitable questions about voter registration and ballots.”

Mid-Day Update On Election Process In South Carolina

COLUMBIA, S.C. – The election process in South Carolina is proceeding smoothly, and a record turnout is expected.

“Across the state, the voting process is running smoothly” said Marci Andino, executive director of the South Carolina State Election Commission. “We are using a lot of new processes and procedures this year, and we are experiencing exactly what we expected – minor issues that we are able to correct in real time. Overall, the system and our voting equipment is working very well.”

Andino said a few counties experienced some temporary delays in opening polls and individual voting machines. Some voters were asked to use paper ballots in order to keep the voting process moving forward, but by mid-morning all the problems had been resolved by Election Commission officials.

“We are seeing the normal types of questions that arise every Election Day,” Andino said. “Questions about registration, ballots and access, but nothing out of the ordinary. Our poll workers are doing an exceptional job, and the biggest issue seems to be long lines at some polls, but that is not unusual when we have what appears to be a record turnout.”