SC House District 88 special election pulls ‘surprising’ early turnout

With Democratic and Republican voters heading to the polls two days before Christmas, early turnout for a Lexington County state House seat more than doubled since the primary runoff.

During early voting, 679 people cast their ballot for former state Rep. RJ May’s replacement, Lexington County election director Lenice Shoemaker said. That’s up from 353 early voters (of 1,488 total voters) in the primary and 274 (of 2,216) in the primary runoff. Shoemaker said she was “surprised” by the steady early voter turnout for the seat last week.

As of Monday, 27 of 70 absentee ballots have been returned, Shoemaker said.

Only registered Republicans voted in the primary because the Democratic candidate did not have an opponent. Now, both parties are headed to the polls today, Tuesday, Dec. 23.

May pleaded guilty to child pornography charges earlier this year, and he resigned from the state House in August. Republican John Lastinger, a pastor, and Democrat Chuck Hightower, a retired Army colonel, are running to replace May in the special election.

The District 88 seat is considered a reliably Republican seat. But an off-cycle election, particularly one right before the holidays, could make it more challenging for Republicans to turn out voters and maintain their dominant margins. President Donald Trump bested Kamala Harris 67-32% in 2024, and there were no Democratic challengers running against May.

Voting is open Tuesday, Dec. 23 from 7 a.m. - 7 p.m. Voters should not expect long lines, Shoemaker said.