Comer challenges Bamberg County District 6 primary results, seeks new election

Evert Comer Jr.’s effort to overturn his 131-105 loss to Mark D. Tyler has put Bamberg County’s election machinery under the microscope, with District 6 now serving as a test of whether residents can trust the county’s records as much as its vote totals. The June 9 primary was part of a statewide election cycle that reached all 46 counties, and early voting alone topped 318,600 ballots across South Carolina, but in Bamberg County the fight now centers on one council seat in a seven-member body that shapes local decisions on roads, services, housing and development.

The dispute lands in the middle of Bamberg County’s redistricting cleanup. County officials said the Board of Voter Registration and Elections was updating voter files to reflect redistricting changes and assigning each voter to the proper precinct and district, while the county’s redistricting records show District 6 was part of the 2021 redraw and remained anchored in the Denmark area with Govan in the district. That is what gives Comer’s challenge its practical edge: the question is not just who won, but whether the county’s records, district lines and voter assignments were aligned when District 6 ballots were cast.

Under South Carolina law, a county primary contest goes first to the county party executive committee. The challenge must be filed in writing with the county party chairman by noon on the Monday after the county committee declares the result, and the committee must hear it on Thursday. Testimony is limited to the grounds stated in the written protest, and the committee decides the case by majority vote before certifying the result. South Carolina courts have also said a contested election should stand unless the challenger shows irregularities or illegalities that affected the outcome, not merely a narrow margin or a technical mistake.

For District 6 voters in Denmark, Govan and the surrounding rural neighborhoods, the outcome could determine whether they go back to the polls or move on with a certified winner. If a new election is ordered, representation for a seat that helps steer county priorities could be delayed while the contest works through party rules and any further review. If the result stands, the county will have preserved the June 9 outcome and, just as important, affirmed that the voter-registration process held up after redistricting. In a county split into seven districts, that answer will shape confidence far beyond one race.