Your Election Day voter guide
As you stand waiting in line to vote Tuesday, you might start to wonder: How many other offices are on the ballot this year? And who’s running for which one again?
Don’t worry. Before you head into the voting booth, you’ve still got time to familiarize yourself with some of the other candidates and issues you have to choose from.
Here’s a guide to The State’s coverage of federal, state and local races you will decide in 2016.
You also can find your polling place and get your specific ballot from SCVotes here.
For more Buzz on S.C. politics, like SCPolitics.com on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.
On the local ballot
Contested races in Richland and Lexington counties:
U.S. House
2nd District (Lexington, Aiken, Barnwell and portions of Richland and Orangeburg): Republican Joe Wilson (i), Democrat Arik Bjorn and Eddie McCain of the American Party
Bjorn narrowly wins 2nd District primary over ‘fake Democrat’
Wilson, Bjorn square off in policy-heavy 2nd District debate
5th District (Fairfield, Kershaw, Lee, Lancaster, Chester, York, Cherokee, Union and portions of Sumter, Newberry and Spartanburg counties): Republican Mick Mulvaney (i), Democrat Fran Person, and Rudy Barnes of the American Party
SC’s 5th Congressional District: Where Mulvaney, Person and Barnes stand on the issues
Ex-Biden aide running ‘aggressive’ bid against GOP’s Mulvaney
Will ties to Biden help or hurt his former aide’s run for Congress?
6th District (Calhoun, Williamsburg, Colleton, Bamberg, Allendale, Hampton, Jasper, and portions of Richland, Orangeburg, Sumter, Beaufort, Berkeley and Charleston counties): Democrat Jim Clyburn (i), Republican Laura Sterling, Prince Charles Mallory of the Green Party and Rich Piotrowski of the Libertarian Party
Clyburn: Make America great again – by electing Clinton
SC Republicans criticize Clyburn for road-repair projects
U.S. Senate
Republican Tim Scott (i), Democrat Thomas Dixon, Bill Bledsoe of the Constitution and Libertarian parties and Rebel Michael Scarbrough of the American Party
Facing no GOP threat, U.S. Sen. Tim Scott poised for re-election
House, Senate candidates meet in Greenville forum
SC Senate candidate plans long-gun rally in Upstate
S.C. Legislature
Contested races with major political party candidates include:
S.C. Senate
District 20 (Richland and Lexington counties): Republican John Courson (i) and Scott Lewis West of the Green Party
Courson criticizes offshore drilling plan
Courson, Finlay, Smith honored by green group
THE BUZZ: Taking down flag ‘like Lee at Appomattox’ for SC senator
District 22 (Richland and Kershaw counties): Republican Susan Brill and Democrat Mia McLeod
GOP hoping to flip Richland state Senate seat
McLeod, Brill point fingers as Senate District 22 race gets heated
Q&A with SC Senate District 22 candidate Susan Brill
Q&A with SC Senate District 22 candidate Mia McLeod
District 26 (Lexington, Calhoun, Aiken and Saluda counties): Democrat Nikki Setzler (i) and Republican Brad Lindsey
Democrat Setzler says he has GOP group’s support
Q&A with SC Senate District 26 candidate Nikki Setzler
Q&A with SC Senate District 26 candidate Brad Lindsey
S.C. House
District 39 (Lexington and Saluda counties): Republican Cal Forrest and Democrat Tillman Gives
District 75 (Richland County): Republican Kirkman Finlay III (i) and Democrat Tyler Gregg
Women’s rights group backs Finlay opponent
Courson, Finlay, Smith honored by green group
Haley calls House panel chief probing SC agency ‘childish and rude’
Q&A with SC House District 75 candidate Kirkman Finlay
Q&A with SC House District 75 candidate Tyler Gregg
District 79 (Richland County): Republican Donald Miles, Democrat Ivory Thigpen and Victor Kocher of the Libertarian Party
Q&A with SC House District 79 candidate Donald Miles
Q&A with SC House District 79 candidate Ivory Thigpen
District 89 (Lexington County): Democrat Rosemounda “Peggy” Butler, Republican Micah Caskey and Robert Lampley of the Constitution Party
Q&A with SC House District 89 candidate Rosemounda ‘Peggy’ Butler
Q&A with SC House District 89 candidate Micah Caskey
District 96 (Lexington County): Republican Kit Spires (i) and Democrat Robert Vanlue
Richland County Council
District 7 (North central Richland County): Democrat Gwen Kennedy and Republican Michael Greene
Q&A with Richland County Council District 7 candidate Gwen Kennedy
Q&A with Richland County Council District 7 candidate Michael Greene
Slew of new faces to appear on Richland Council
District 8 (Northeast Richland and part of Forest Acres): Democrat Jim Manning (i) and Republican Todd Phillips
Q&A with Richland County Council District 8 candidate Jim Manning
Q&A with Richland County Council District 8 candidate Todd Phillips
Richland 1 School Board
Two at-large seats elected nonpartisan
Darrell Black, Otha Dillihay, Avni Gupta-Kagan, Donna Mack, Germon “Mama G.” Miller and Lila Anna Sauls
New faces have opportunity to shape schools in Richland 1 and Richland 2
Richland 1 continues to lag in state testing performance
Richland 2 School Board
Three at-large seats elected nonpartisan
Lindsay Agostini, Anthony “A.J” Bracey, Henry Counts, Monica Elkins-Johnson (i), Kay Harvey, Evangelina Hemphill, Bill McCracken, James Mobley, Keith Powell, Jamie Shadd, Shelley Williams and Milton Wright
New faces have opportunity to shape schools in Richland 1 and Richland 2
Lexington County
Coroner: Republican Margaret Fisher (i) and Frank Barron of the Constitution Party
Lexington coroner’s race stormy as Barron goes up against Fisher – again
Lexington 1:
Four at-large seats elected nonpartisan
Mike Anderson, Anne Marie Green, Jean Haggard (i), Grady Harmon, Brent Powers (i) and Cynthia Smith (i)
Settlement sets stage for upgrades for girls’ softball at Lexington High
Want to park your car? Pass a drug test if you’re a Lex 1 student
Lexington 2
Four at-large seats elected nonpartisan
Bill Bingham (i), Beth Branham (i), Glen Conwell (i), Cindy Kessler (i), Kevin Key and Ken Scheller
Lexington 2 school board race seen as verdict on pace of renovations
Lexington 3
Four at-large seats elected nonpartisan
Craig Caughman (i), Stacey Derrick (i), Leon Drafts (i) and Lancer Shull (i)
Lexington 3 to provide heart tests for athletes after Simpkins’ death
Lexington 4
Four at-large seats elected nonpartisan
Daniel Martin (i), Viola McDaniel, Kathy Mixson (i), Chris Pound (i), Doris Simmons (i) and Tim Williams
Lexington-Richland 5 (Lexington portion)
Two at-large seats elected nonpartisan
Michael Cates, Beth Burn Hutchison (i) and Barb Waldman
More classrooms coming to Chapin – and maybe more schools, too
Murphy off ballot in school board contest
Lexington 4 referendum
School officials are asking voters to approve borrowing $25.4 million for improvements at Swansea High School. The package includes a performing arts center/meeting auditorium along with renovations of sports facilities and vocational education classrooms. The step is estimated to add $200 to the yearly property tax bill of a home valued at $100,000.
Lexington 4 seeks voter OK for arts center, other renovations at Swansea High
(i) denotes incumbent
Races compiled by Clif LeBlanc and Tim Flach
Bristow Marchant: 803-771-8405, @BristowatHome, @BuzzAtTheState
SC VOTER IDs
S.C. law says that you need one of these IDs to vote:
▪ A S.C. driver’s license
▪ A photo ID issued by the state Department of Motor Vehicles
▪ A photo voter registration card
▪ A military ID
▪ A U.S. passport
But you can vote even if you don’t have one
Would-be voters without a photo ID can vote if they can cite a “reasonable impediment” to getting one. Among the acceptable excuses:
▪ A disability or illness
▪ A work conflict
▪ A lack of transportation
▪ Family responsibilities
▪ A lack of a birth certificate
▪ A religious objection to being photographed
This story was originally published November 4, 2016 at 11:22 AM with the headline "Your Election Day voter guide."