Berkeley County voter turnout of 77.5 percent elect leaders into office

South Carolina voted overwhelmingly to return Donald J. Trump to the White House, helping him secure the electoral votes nationwide to win the presidency over Vice President Kamala Harris.

 

In the local race for South Carolina’s U.S. House of Representative, District 1, Republican Nancy Mace was reelected to the U.S. Congress, defeating Democrat Michael B. Moore. Mace earned 58% of the votes in the district to Moore’s 41.5%.

 

Mace, who recently relocated back to Daniel Island, said, “I will continue working around the clock to put South Carolina first. Serving you is the honor of my life. And I promise you, no one will work harder. The people of the Lowcountry sent me back because I have fought hard on legislation addressing the tide of illegal immigration, women’s issues, and growing our economy. I look forward to continuing this work.”

 

In other local contested races, Republican Brian Adams defeated Democrat Vicky Winn, earning 60.5% of the vote to secure his seat in the South Carolina State Senate, Dist. 44.

 

Republican incumbent Solicitor Scarlett Wilson secured reelection over Democratic challenger David Osbourne.

 

And in the nonpartisan Berkeley County School Board at-large race, Cindy Coats unseated incumbent David Barrow, earning 54.3% of the votes.

 

“I am honored to be elected and excited to serve,” Coats said. “I have three main focus items: student achievement, safety/security, and smart growth planning.” Coats plans to increase the number of students who are achieving on grade level and increase the number of students exceeding grade level achievement expectations.

 

“Berkeley County is one of the fastest-growing counties in South Carolina, and with good reason.  It is a great place to live! We must assess our current needs as well as plan ahead for the approximately 5,000 moving to Berkeley County each year,” she said.

 

Incumbent state representative Mark Smith, who ran unopposed for State House District 99, was easily reelected for his third term.

 

Jarrod Brooks, who also ran unopposed, will be the area’s new Berkeley County councilman for District 2, replacing longtime councilman Josh Whitley, who decided not to run for a fourth term.

 

Brooks, who is a Daniel Island resident, will be sworn into office the first week in January.

 

“A special feeling sets in when your neighbors and fellow citizens ask and empower you to look out for their best interests. It is simultaneously a high honor and heavy responsibility. To be successful, I must remain adaptable to discover our opportunities to be better,” Brooks said.

 

South Carolina is reporting nearly 76% voter turnout, with 2.52 million of 3.4 million voters casting their ballots in the 2024 election. In Berkeley County, voter turnout was 77.5%, with 113,417 ballots cast of 146,231 eligible voters.

 

South Carolina state races are more than 95% reported, with 44 of 46 counties and 2306 of 2308 precincts reporting as of 11:15 a.m. Wednesday, Nov. 6.

 

Results posted by SCvotes.gov and BerkeleyCountySC.gov are considered unofficial until all the votes are counted, and results are certified and declared final.