Bishopville, S.C. Faces Election Controversy Over Narrow Senate Race Victory and Recount Discrepancies

Bishopville, S.C. Faces Election Controversy Over Senate Race

The recent election for the South Carolina Senate District 29 seat has sparked protests and investigations following a narrow victory for Republican candidate J.D. Chaplin over incumbent Democrat Gerald Malloy. The election results indicated a razor-thin margin, with Chaplin initially leading by 287 votes. However, state law mandated an automatic recount due to the close results.

Election Details

The election took place across several counties, including Darlington, Chesterfield, Marlboro, Sumter, and Lee. Following the recount, significant changes were observed in the vote totals from Lee County. Malloy, who had held his Senate seat for more than two decades, gained 59 votes during the recount. Contrarily, Chaplin lost 129 votes in the same county, raising suspicions about the integrity of the recount process.

The Protest

In light of these discrepancies, Malloy has formally filed a protest with the state, citing “irregularities” in the vote count. His attorney, Matthew Richardson, expressed concerns about what he described as “unprecedented” changes in the vote totals. Malloy’s legal team alleges that ballots cast during early voting may have been missing or improperly counted on election day. Additionally, they claim discrepancies in the registration lists of voters.

State Election Commission Involvement

The South Carolina Election Commission noted that such a situation is highly unusual. T.J. Lundeen, a spokesperson for the commission, stated that their investigations have not uncovered any similar circumstances in previous elections. He commented on the unexpected shifts in voting totals, saying, “Something didn’t add up. Typically, the numbers from a recount should closely mirror what was reported on election day and during early voting.”

Amid mounting concerns, the Election Commission sent a communication to the Lee County election office urging them to clarify the discrepancies in their reports. SC Election Commission Executive Director Howard Knapp highlighted that the observed inconsistencies raised questions about the recount’s accuracy and called for a thorough review.

Response from Lee County

Lee County’s Election Director, Kaulonda Lewis, confirmed that her office has responded to the commission’s inquiries and is cooperating with the investigation. In the meantime, a hearing on Malloy’s protest is scheduled for December 3.

Responses from Candidates

Chaplin has publicly rejected Malloy’s claims, pointing out that the former senator did not raise any concerns during the voting period. He stated, “Gerald Malloy raised zero concerns about the voting process,” and accused Malloy of being an “election denier” attempting to overturn the will of the people after losing the election.

On the contrary, Malloy emphasized the importance of election integrity and the need for accurate vote counting. He stated, “Election integrity and accuracy are the cornerstones of democracy. We must understand what happened because every voter deserves to know their vote is counted fairly and accurately.” Malloy also expressed concerns about the potential for future discrepancies if the current issues are not resolved.

As this controversial election unfolds, many in South Carolina are closely monitoring the situation in Bishopville, waiting to see whether the protest will lead to a new election or if the initial results will stand.