South Carolina Superintendent of Education election, 2022

	2026 → ← 2018
South Carolina Superintendent of Education
Election details
	Filing deadline: March 30, 2022
	Primary: June 14, 2022; Primary runoff: June 28, 2022; General: November 8, 2022; Pre-election incumbent(s):; Molly Mitchell Spearman (Republican)
How to vote
	Poll times: 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.; Voting in South Carolina
Ballotpedia analysis
	Federal and state primary competitiveness; State executive elections in 2022; Impact of term limits in 2022; State government trifectas; State government triplexes; Ballotpedia's Election Analysis Hub, 2022
South Carolina; executive elections
	Governor; Lieutenant Governor; Attorney General; Secretary of State; Treasurer; Comptroller; Superintendent of Education; Agriculture Commissioner

South Carolina held an election for superintendent of education on November 8, 2022. The primary was scheduled for June 14, 2022, and a primary runoff was scheduled for June 28, 2022. The filing deadline was March 30, 2022.

Ellen Weaver won election in the general election for South Carolina Superintendent of Education.

Candidates and election results

General election candidates

Lisa Ellis (Democratic Party, Alliance Party)
Ellen Weaver (Republican Party) ✔
Patricia Mickel (Green Party)

= candidate completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey
Republican primary runoff candidates

Kathy Maness
Ellen Weaver ✔

= candidate completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey
Democratic primary candidates

= candidate completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey
Republican primary candidates

Did not make the ballot:

= candidate completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey
Minor Party convention candidates

Alliance Party

Lisa Ellis ✔

Green Party

Patricia Mickel ✔

= candidate completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey

Voting information

See also: Voting in South Carolina

Election information in South Carolina: Nov. 8, 2022, election.

What was the voter registration deadline?

In-person: Oct. 7, 2022
By mail: Postmarked by Oct. 11, 2022
Online: Oct. 9, 2022

Was absentee/mail-in voting available to all voters?

No

What was the absentee/mail-in ballot request deadline?

In-person: Oct. 28, 2022
By mail: Received by Oct. 28, 2022
Online: N/A

What was the absentee/mail-in ballot return deadline?

In-person: Nov. 8, 2022
By mail: Received by Nov. 8, 2022

Was early voting available to all voters?

Yes

What were the early voting start and end dates?

Oct. 24, 2022 to Nov. 5, 2022

Were all voters required to present ID at the polls? If so, was a photo or non-photo ID required?

N/A

When were polls open on Election Day?

N/A

Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey responses

Ballotpedia asks all federal, state, and local candidates to complete a survey and share what motivates them on political and personal levels. The section below shows responses from candidates in this race who completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

Survey responses from candidates in this race

Click on a candidate's name to visit their Ballotpedia page.

Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.

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Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

Image of https://s3.amazonaws.com/ballotpedia-api4/files/thumbs/100/100/Lisa_Ellis.jpg

Lisa Ellis (Democratic, Alliance)

Every child deserves a high quality education.

Teachers and school support staff need higher salaries and better working conditions.

School funding has to be addressed.

Image of https://s3.amazonaws.com/ballotpedia-api4/files/thumbs/100/100/Ellen_Weaver.jpg

Ellen Weaver (R)

We must focus on foundational skills. Too many students are behind in basic math and reading skills. This is an urgent situation. We must prioritize these foundational skills which children need to be successful in other vitally important subject areas like history, the sciences, and the arts. This means a strong focus on phonics and knowledge-building—the proven science of reading—especially in the early grades.

We've got to restore classroom discipline. Unfortunately, Washington bureaucrats have far too much say in our discipline practices, which means that our teachers aren’t allowed to maintain control over their own classrooms. South Carolina must intentionally cultivate, coach, and empower teachers to be the CEOs of their classrooms and principals to be CEO’s of their schools. We must also give teachers a safe, anonymous way to speak out about issues in their classrooms: teachers must be heard.

It's time to expand education choices. Whether it’s traditional public, public charter or magnet, private, home school, or any of the growing array of high-quality hybrid options, we must ensure that parents of every income level can choose the right environment to support the safety, well-being, values, and unique educational needs of their child.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

Lisa Ellis (Democratic, Alliance)

Public education

Ellen Weaver (R)

South Carolina’s education crisis is urgent. COVID has exposed fault lines that have been growing for decades. But this could be South Carolina’s greatest moment of education opportunity if we come together to focus on results for students, to empower parents, and to support great teachers.

My plan for educational excellence in South Carolina is built on three important principles:

Flexibility Equip students to pursue their unique needs and personal goals, empower parents to exercise their God-given rights, cut red tape to allow educators to do their jobs effectively, and keep decision-making authority as close to the student as possible.

Responsibility Deliver a high-quality education for every child. Maintain a laser focus on academic outcomes that are measured in a fair and transparent way, as well as total financial transparency so that taxpayers know their money is actually being spent.

Fairness

Provide equal access to education opportunities for every student, no matter their family’s income level or zip code. This also means a strong focus on students with special needs and special gifts, to help them realize their unique potential.

What qualities does this office possess that makes it a unique and important part of the state government and legal system?

Lisa Ellis (Democratic, Alliance)

This office serves the public education system of South Carolina. It is responsible for the education that our students receive, and education is a vital component of a strong democracy. It is vital this office promote and maintain a strong public education system so that the future of South Carolina is strong and competitive.

What characteristics or principles are most important for an elected official?

Lisa Ellis (Democratic, Alliance)

A strong moral character, honesty, transparency, and a willingness to put others above self.

What legacy would you like to leave?

Lisa Ellis (Democratic, Alliance)

One of my grandmother's mottos was "Brighten the corner where you are." I have always loved that saying, and that is what I attempt to do in my life. My personal life motto is from George Eliot: "What do we live for, if not to make life less difficult for each other?" I want to leave the world a better place, and I believe I do this as a teacher every day. I truly won't ever know my full impact, but I hope that those who meet me are better for it.

What was your very first job? How long did you have it?

Lisa Ellis (Democratic, Alliance)

My very first job was babysitting. My first job with a company was Baskin Robbins. I worked there until I graduated from high school. It gave me a wonderful glimpse into working with the public and also working in food service.

What is your favorite book? Why?

Lisa Ellis (Democratic, Alliance)

Too many to list...

If you could be any fictional character, who would you want to be?

Lisa Ellis (Democratic, Alliance)

Wonder Woman

What was the last song that got stuck in your head?

Lisa Ellis (Democratic, Alliance)

Bon Jovi's 'We Don't Run.'

What responsibilities of this office do you personally consider the most important?

Lisa Ellis (Democratic, Alliance)

The person who holds this office has to be passionate, transparent, and accountable to educational stakeholders, most importantly, our students.

What kind of skills or expertise do you believe would be the most helpful for the holders of this office to possess?

Lisa Ellis (Democratic, Alliance)

This office must have teaching and school experience in order to understand the responsibilities placed on the schools. I now say, "if you haven't worked in a school since COVID, you don't know what it's like to teach." That experience is crucial to understanding the demands of the system. It would be helpful to have leadership experience.

Tell us your favorite joke.

Lisa Ellis (Democratic, Alliance)

What did the tomato say to the cabbage? You go on ahead (a head), and I'll catch up (ketchup).

Past elections

2018

See also: South Carolina Superintendent of Public Instruction election, 2018

General election

General election for South Carolina Superintendent of Education

Incumbent Molly Mitchell Spearman won election in the general election for South Carolina Superintendent of Education on November 6, 2018.

	Candidate	%	Votes
✔	Molly Mitchell Spearman (R)	98.1	998,057
	Other/Write-in votes	1.9	18,866

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 1,016,923
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

James Robbins (Independent)
Israel Romero (D)

Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for South Carolina Superintendent of Education

Israel Romero advanced from the Democratic primary for South Carolina Superintendent of Education on June 12, 2018.

		Candidate
✔	Submit photo	Israel Romero

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified.
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Republican primary election

Republican primary for South Carolina Superintendent of Education

Incumbent Molly Mitchell Spearman advanced from the Republican primary for South Carolina Superintendent of Education on June 12, 2018.

		Candidate
✔		Molly Mitchell Spearman

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified.
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

2014

See also: South Carolina down ballot state executive elections, 2014

Republican Molly Mitchell Spearman won election on November 4, 2014.

South Carolina Superintendent, 2014
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Republican	Molly Mitchell Spearman	57%	699,081
	Democratic	Tom Thompson	38.8%	476,358
	American	Ed Murray	3.8%	46,695
	Nonpartisan	Write-in votes	0.4%	5,055
Total Votes				1,227,189
Election results via South Carolina State Election Commission

External links

Footnotes

South Carolina	State Executive Elections	News and Analysis

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South Carolina Superintendent of Education election, 2022

Contents

Candidates and election results

Voting information

Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey responses

Past elections

2018

General election

General election for South Carolina Superintendent of Education

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for South Carolina Superintendent of Education

Republican primary election

Republican primary for South Carolina Superintendent of Education

2014

See also

External links

Footnotes

Information about voting

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