Government

Berkeley County Voter Turnout Only 5.16% In Tuesday’s Primary

vote election
Only 5,836 voters showed up at the polls on June 14th, 2016 in Berkeley County.

BERKELEY COUNTY, S.C.–While there are more than 113,000 registered voters in Berkeley County, only 5.16% cast their ballots in Tuesday’s primary.

That equates to just 5,836 voters who showed up at the polls.

Despite a SLED investigation concerning allegations of ethics violations, Berkeley County Councilman Ken Gunn and State Rep. Samuel Rivers Jr. still came out on top.

Pictured L to R: Ken Gunn and Elaine Barnett
Pictured L to R: Ken Gunn and Elaine Barnett

Gunn received 69.42% of the votes in the Berkeley County Council District 3 race. Meanwhile, his opponent, Elaine Barnett, received 30.58% of the votes.

Rivers, who is currently being accused of attempting to bribe Barnett with a county job if she dropped out of the race against Gunn, was not impacted at the polls by the allegations.

Pictured L to R: Samuel Rivers Jr. and Steven Smith
Pictured L to R: Samuel Rivers Jr. and Steven Smith

He received 73.05% of the votes while his challenger, Steven Smith, received 26.95% of the votes.

“I’m honored that you have elected me as your Republican nominee and towards my re-election in November,” stated Rivers. “I’m humbled that more than 70% of the voters have placed their trust in me. Success in life is how well you serve others, using your talents and knowledge to help others.”

Pictured: Larry Grooms does some last minute campaigning on Tuesday.
Pictured: Larry Grooms does some last minute campaigning on Tuesday.

Other big winners included South Carolina Senator Larry Grooms. The senior lawmaker watched the votes come in at the election commission in Moncks Corner. Voters in Berkeley County gave him a 79.19% win over Mark Heath’s 20.81%.

“The trust that more than 80% of the voters have placed in me tonight (Tuesday) is deeply humbling. You’ve been here for me — I will continue to be there for you!” Grooms stated via social media.

Pictured: Mark Sanford
Pictured: Mark Sanford

U.S. Congressman Mark Sanford was another big winner in Berkeley County. Voters gave him a 58.31% win over Jenny Horne’s 41.69%.

“It’s a humbling experience to try as best you can to represent 750,000 viewpoints along the South Carolina coast in Washington. I’m trying as best as I can. I really appreciate and am humbled by the opportunity to do so and so. I thank voters for the chance I’ve had,” he said.

Nikki Gaskins Campbell
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