Saturday, November 12, 2022

Recount done - Certification expected today (Nov. 12)

According to posts on Facebook, the Richland County Elections Commission completed its recount at about 1:30AM today, and Joe Trapp remains the 4th place winner of votes in the November 8th school board election.

Joe Trapp   12,500 votes (9.78%)
T. Holmes  11,995 votes (9.38%)

The official result and Certification are expected to be announced at 10:30AM.

Will today's Certification affect the November 18th Special-Called Board Meeting? The four new members of the board do not begin their terms-of-office until one week after the Certification of the election.

S.C. Code of Laws Section 59-19-315. "Commencement of trustee's term of office. The term of office of every elected trustee of a school district must commence one week following the certification of his election."

Several Facebook pages were blowing up yesterday with wild, chaotic posts. Civility and respect seemed to be thrown out the window by some.

This country has been consumed by complaints of election fraud in recent years.

Right here in Richland County we witnessed action by the Election Commission to carry out its duty. The recount was apparently triggered by a Mandatory Recount law: S.C. Code of Laws Section 7-17-280.

SECTION 7-17-280. Mandatory recounts.

Whenever the difference between the number of votes received by a candidate who has been declared nominated for an office in a primary election or who has been declared elected to an office in a general election and the number of votes received by any other candidate or candidate not declared so nominated or elected or whenever the difference between the number of votes received by a candidate who received the least number of votes to qualify for a runoff election and a candidate or candidates who did not so qualify shall be not more than one percent of the total votes which were cast for such office therein, the committee or board charged by law with canvassing such votes shall order a recount of such votes to be made forthwith unless such other candidate or candidates shall waive a recount in writing.

Whenever the difference between the number of votes cast in favor of and opposed to any constitutional amendment, question or other issue is not more than one percent of the total cast thereon, the Board of State Canvassers shall order a recount of such votes to be made forthwith."

Complaints on Facebook included that Holmes had not waived the recount, but I don't think anyone knew, for sure, that she had not.

But why should she have done so? I would not have. If the recount was mandated by State law and I thought it might give me a win, I definitely would not have waived it. Would you have?

Congratulations to Joe Trapp. He'll be an asset on the school board.

For my part, I'm glad Holmes did not make the Top Four. I wish she had come in 12th. Or 13th. Much of the disrespect, unprofessionalism, and failure to lead were caused by her presence on the board. I have saved all the snarky and rude emails she sent me over the years. Maybe I'll write a book.