Republican targets Lexington County school boards with partisan election bill

When a Lexington County candidate files to run for a seat on their local school boards, they may have to declare a political party beginning in 2028.

Members of three Lexington County school districts could become partisan under a bill that cleared the state Senate last week. The bill, filed by local Republican Sen. Carlisle Kennedy, would make elections for school boards of trustees in Lexington County School Districts 1, 2 and 4 partisan. Those three districts are located entirely within the county, while two districts spill into other counties.

Kennedy said the bill allows voters, who often swing Republican in Lexington County elections, to better understand candidates views on different social issues, like “protecting single-sex facilities” and local property taxes.

“If a candidate embraces tax-and-spend policies, expansive government or progressive social agendas, voters should know that upfront,” Kennedy wrote in a text to The State to explain why he filed the measure.

Only two other counties in South Carolina, Horry and Lee, currently have partisan school board elections.

The bill passed without debate in the Senate last week, but it will still need approval from the House and the governor. Kennedy’s legislation was assigned to the local delegation of the state House on Tuesday.

Catherine Huddle, a school board member in Lexington-Richland 5, said she felt frustrated after the 2024 general election because she didn’t think voters understood who they were voting for. Partisan elections, including a primary, could provide more “due diligence” for voters to understand where candidates stand on issues that matter to them, Huddle said.

She said candidates may tell residents waiting in line to vote whether they are conservative or progressive, even when that label doesn’t align with their actual position.

“I think as a result, we get a lot of people elected that don’t really represent their constituents,” Huddle said. Huddle’s board would not be impacted by Kennedy’s bill.

The Lexington County Republican Party wrote its voters support partisan school board elections on social media Friday.

School trustees serve four-year terms. Lexington County school board members oversee thousands of students and employees in their districts.

This story was originally published March 26, 2026 at 5:00 AM.