District 5 of Lexington and Richland Counties elections (2016)
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Three of the seven seats on the District 5 of Lexington and Richland Counties board of trustees were up for general election on November 8, 2016. Two seats representing Lexington County and one representing Richland County were up for election. Incumbent Beth Hutchison filed for re-election to one of the Lexington seats. She was joined on the ballot by newcomers Michael Cates and Barb Waldman. Hutchison secured another term on the board and was joined in her victory by Cates. Board incumbent Robert Gantt filed for re-election to the Richland seat and originally faced challenger Kim Murphy. However, when a judge ruled that she was ineligible to run for the seat because she was not a resident of Richland County, she was disqualified from the race. In response, Murphy launched a write-in campaign and continued to rally support leading up to the general election. She did not receive enough votes to win the race, and Gantt won another term on the board. There was no primary.[1][2][3]
Four members of the school board represent the portion of the school district located within Lexington County, and three of the members are required to be residents of the portion of the school district located within Richland County. They are elected by the registered voters therein.
Elections
Voter and candidate information
The District 5 of Lexington and Richland Counties board of trustees is a nonpartisan board that consists of seven members elected to staggered four-year terms. There was no primary election, and a general election was held November 8, 2016. The deadline for candidates to file nominating petitions was on August 15, 2016.
Candidates and results
Lexington
Results
| District 5 of Lexington and Richland Counties, Lexington General Election, 4-year terms, 2016 |
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| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
 Beth Hutchison Incumbent |
46.01% | 13,799 |
| Michael Cates |
27.09% | 8,124 |
| Barb Waldman | 24.96% | 7,486 |
| Write-in votes | 1.94% | 581 |
| Total Votes (100) | 29,990 | |
| Source: South Carolina Election Commission, "Official Results," accessed December 1, 2016 | ||
Candidates
| Beth Hutchison |
Michael Cates |
Barb Waldman | |||
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Richland
Results
| District 5 of Lexington and Richland Counties, Richland General Election, 4-year term, 2016 |
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| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
| Robert Gantt Incumbent (unopposed) |
91.44% | 16,166 |
| Write-in votes | 8.56% | 1,514 |
| Total Votes (100) | 17,680 | |
| Source: South Carolina Election Commission, "Official Results," accessed December 1, 2016 | ||
Candidates
| Robert Gantt | |
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Additional elections on the ballot
- See also: South Carolina elections, 2016
The following offices shared the general election date with this South Carolina school board election:
Key deadlines
The following dates were key deadlines for this South Carolina school board election in 2016:[4]
| Deadline | Event |
|---|---|
| March 30, 2016 | Last day to file nominating petitions for partisan elections |
| June 14, 2016 | Primary election day, if necessary |
| June 28, 2016 | Primary runoff election day, if necessary |
| August 15, 2016 | Last day to file nominating petitions for nonpartisan elections |
| October 8, 2016 | Deadline to register to vote in the general election |
| October 10, 2016 | Fourth quarter campaign finance deadline |
| October 24, 2016 | Pre-election campaign finance deadline |
| November 4, 2016 | Deadline to return absentee by mail application for the general election |
| November 7, 2016 | Deadline to vote absentee in person for the general election |
| November 8, 2016 | General election day |
Endorsements
Do you know of an official or organization that endorsed a candidate in this race? Let Ballotpedia know by email at elections@ballotpedia.org.
Campaign finance
Candidates raised a total of $10,775 and spent a total of $4,361.57 as of October 27, 2016, according to the South Carolina State Ethics Commission.[5]
The following are the guidelines provided by the South Carolina State Ethics Commission for campaign finance reporting:[6]
Initial report: School board candidates were required to file this report within 10 days of spending or receiving the first $500 of campaign funds. A subsequent report was not required until additional funds were raised.
Pre-election report: This report had to be filed by all candidates, whether or not there was any financial campaign activity. The report had to be filed no later than 15 days, and no earlier than 20 days, prior to the general election. The pre-election report was due on October 24, 2016.
Quarterly report: All candidates with contributions on hand were required to file this report. It was required of all candidates once they have begun to file, whether or not there was financial activity. The fourth quarter campaign finance report was due on October 10, 2016.
Final report: This was due after the campaign account was closed.
What was at stake?
Report a story for this election
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About the district
District 5 of Lexington and Richland Counties is located in both Lexington County, South Carolina and Richland County, South Carolina. Combined, the areas of Lexington and Richland Counties were home to 688,884 residents between 2010 and 2015, according to the United States Census Bureau.[7] The district was the 14th-largest school district in the state in the 2013–2014 school year and served 16,644 students.[8]
Demographics in Lexington County
Lexington County outperformed in comparison to South Carolina as a whole in terms of higher education attainment between 2010 and 2014. The United States Census Bureau found that 28.7 percent of county residents aged 25 years and older had attained a bachelor's degree or higher, compared to 25.3 percent for state residents. The median household income in the county was $54,170, compared to $45,033 for the state. County residents lived below the poverty level at a rate of 13.8 percent, while that rate was 16.6 percent for state residents[7]
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Demographics in Richland County
Richland County outperformed in comparison to South Carolina as a whole in terms of higher education attainment between 2010 and 2014. The United States Census Bureau found that 36.2 percent of county residents aged 25 years and older had attained a bachelor's degree or higher compared to 25.3 percent for state residents. The median household income in the county was $48,674 compared to $45,033 for the state. County residents lived below the poverty level at a rate of 16.1 percent, while that rate was 16.6 percent for state residents.[7]
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Note: Percentages for race and ethnicity may add up to more than 100 percent because respondents may report more than one race and the Hispanic/Latino ethnicity may be selected in conjunction with any race. Read more about race and ethnicity in the census here.
Recent news
The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms 'District 5 of Lexington and Richland Counties' 'South Carolina'. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.
See also
| District 5 of Lexington and Richland Counties | South Carolina | School Boards |
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External links
- District 5 of Lexington and Richland Counties
- Lexington County Board of Elections
- Richland County Board of Elections
- South Carolina Elections Commission
Footnotes
- ↑ Elisabeth Moore, "Email conversation with Courtney Williams," September 13, 2016
- ↑ Free Times, "Kim Murphy to Mount Write-In Campaign for School Board," October 14, 2016
- ↑ South Carolina Election Commission, "Election Results," accessed November 8, 2016
- ↑ South Carolina Election Commission, "2016 Election Calendar," accessed November 4, 2016
- ↑ South Carolina State Ethics Commission, "Individual Reports," accessed October 27, 2016
- ↑ South Carolina State Ethics Commission, "Campaign Practices," accessed October 6, 2016
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 7.4 United States Census Bureau, "Lexington County, South Carolina," accessed September 21, 2016
- ↑ National Center for Education Statistics, "ELSI Table Generator," accessed November 16, 2015
- ↑ South Carolina State Election Commission, "Election Results," accessed August 19, 2014
- ↑ South Carolina State Election Commission, "Election Results," accessed August 19, 2014
| 2016 District 5 of Lexington and Richland Counties Elections | |
| Election date: | November 8, 2016 |
| Candidates: | Lexington: Incumbent, Beth Hutchison • Michael Cates • Barb Waldman Richland: Incumbent, Robert Gantt |
| Important information: | What was at stake? • Key deadlines • Additional elections on the ballot |
