ELECTION RESULTS: Ritchie wins GOP primary runoff for Charleston Co. Sheriff

CHARLESTON COUNTY, S.C. (WCSC) - Charleston County voters have chosen the Republican Sheriff nominee ahead of the November election.

Former Mount Pleasant Police Chief and current Town Council Member Carl Ritchie received 59.6% of the vote Tuesday night, while challenger Citadel graduate and Marine Corps Reserves veteran Greg Kitchens received 40.4%.

In Georgetown County, voters decided between Ernie Cooper Sr. and Everette Carolina Sr. for the Georgetown County Council District 3 seat.

On June 11, Kitchens received 44.55% of the vote with Ritchie receiving 41.67%.

Kitchens did not secure over 50% of the vote leading to the Republican face-off. The winner of the runoff will advance against Democratic and incumbent Sheriff Kristin Graziano.

“Morale is extremely low, our Jedi Knights deserve better than that. It’s not working. She’s a perfectly nice person but she has failed as sheriff, I think that’s obvious, and the voters of Charleston County need to give someone else a chance,” Kitchens says.

In Colleton County, voters cast their ballot for the democratic option for Clerk of Court which has been narrowed down to Sherry Atkins-Robinson and Wanda Taylor.

In Georgetown County, voters decided between Ernie Cooper Sr. and Everette Carolina Sr. for the Georgetown County Council District 3 seat.

To take a closer look at the runoff election results throughout the Lowcountry, click here.

The only voters eligible to cast their ballot in the June 25 election are people who voted in the Republican Primary and voters who have not voted at all. The county saw 2,486 early votes for the runoff from June 19 to June 21. The runoff numbers show a 65% decrease in early votes compared to the 7,121 votes in the primary elections earlier this month.

The Executive Director of the Charleston Board of Voter Registration and Elections Isaac Cramer says less voter turnout for the runoffs is typical. Cramer says the quick election turnaround leads to voter fatigue which causes lower numbers. The director says voting in the runoffs is still important despite the fatigue as nominees can run unopposed in the General Election.

“Sometimes these people run unopposed in November, so the election is the June Primary,” Cramer says. “Just getting that message out and letting people know that, ‘yes, the vote that you would cast in June is just as important as it is in November’ because you are influencing potentially the person that is going to be elected or the nominee of the party.”

Election officials made an emergency change in the polling location for Mount Pleasant voters.

Voters who normally vote at the Mount Pleasant National Guard Armory polling location will instead vote at the Mount Pleasant Municipal Complex.

“We are going to have signage at the old location directing voters to the new place in case they missed it,” Cramer says. “The National Guard armory will have somebody on site to help direct people. And then at the new voting spot, there will be clear signage letting voters know that information.”

Voters must bring photo identification as polls will be open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Election officials say the best times to cast your ballot are early morning and later hours as 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. will be peak hours. You can find your polling location online.

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