District 106 State Home of Consultant candidate, Brian Sweeney, who misplaced within the June 28 main runoff election has filed an enchantment with the state Supreme Court docket to problem the outcomes.
Brian Sweeney is a Surfside Seaside insurance coverage agent who misplaced to Murrells Inlet Legal professional Val Visitor in a June twenty eighth runoff by solely 294 votes.
Sweeney has filed a petition with the state Supreme Court docket asking the justices to void the June 28 main runoff election and order a brand new main election be held.
A Horry County-wide error wherein Republican voters obtained Democratic absentee ballots previous to the June 28 main runoff election is a priority amongst many Horry County conservatives. This error is central to Sweeney’s petition.
On June 24, 4 days earlier than the first runoff election, Horry County election officers introduced that 1,377 Republican voters within the county mistakenly obtained Democratic absentee ballots for that upcoming election. The difficulty was reported to the State Election Fee.
In his enchantment to the Supreme Court docket, Sweeney alleged that 306 of these absentee voters in Horry County had been eligible to vote within the District 106 runoff however had been mailed the unsuitable absentee poll. When substitute ballots had been ultimately mailed out, the voters got three days or much less to return their ballots.
“Whereas 20 substitute ballots purportedly did arrive in time to be counted, 286 Horry County residents had been disadvantaged of the precise to vote,” Sweeney alleged in his petition. “Whereas the mailing of the 306 substitute ballots was well-intentioned, it was just too late to supply for a purposeful authorized election. The results of this main is unknowable.”
In keeping with the petition, Horry County voter knowledge discovered that 20 mail-in ballots arrived by the June 28 deadline. One other 58 mail-in ballots arrived after the June 28 deadline, however earlier than June 30.
An e-mail despatched to MyrtleBeachSC Information by Sweeney’s Legal professional, Jason Luke, states:
It’s normally not my apply to make public feedback on pending litigation.
Nevertheless, take into account the next quotes from the petition:
No affordable particular person can be happy with the legitimacy of an election the place a number of hundred voters signed into their precincts, entered their voting cubicles, and walked out with out ever casting a poll. But, that’s successfully what occurred on June 28, 2022, the place 306 absentee voters had been mailed the unsuitable absentee poll.
(Petition p. 7)
Whereas substitute ballots had been ultimately mailed out, [District 106] voters got three days or much less to return their ballots. …[D]ue to an intervening Sunday, any voter who didn’t obtain his substitute poll on June 25, 2022, would obtain his poll, on the earliest, the day earlier than the election.
(Petition p. 7) (emphasis in authentic)
[A] disproportionate share of District 106 voters obtained incorrect ballots.
(Petition p. 8 n.1)
Whereas the mailing of the 306 substitute ballots was well-intentioned, it was just too late to supply for a purposeful, authorized election. The true results of this main is unknowable.
(Petition pp. 8-9)
Legal professional Butch Bowers will likely be defending the place of the S.C. Republican Social gathering on this enchantment. The S.C. Republican Social gathering denied the enchantment.
Butch Bowers was additionally the lawyer for Horry County Council Chairman Candidate Mark Lazarus. Lazarus additionally appealed these similar points to the Horry County GOP. In that enchantment, Bowers held the place that Lazarus’ enchantment had benefit.
Bowers now represents the State Republican Social gathering, defending the celebration’s polar reverse place on the identical authorized matter.
THE STATE OF SOUTH CAROLINA
Within the Supreme Court docket
___________________
ON PETITION FOR A WRIT OF CERTIORARI
___________________
APPEAL FROM SOUTH CAROLINA REPUBLICAN PARTY
State Govt Committee
____________________
Appellate Case No. 2022-000984
____________________
Brian Sweeney ……………………………………………………………………………… Petitioner, v.
South Carolina Republican Social gathering
and Thomas Duval Visitor, Jr. ……………………………………………………… Respondents. ___________________
NOTICE OF APPEARANCE
____________________
PLEASE TAKE NOTICE that the undersigned counsel, Robert E. Tyson, Jr. and Vordman Carlisle Traywick, III, each of Robinson Grey Stepp & Laffitte, LLC, and Karl S. Bowers, Jr., of Bowers Regulation Workplace, LLC, hereby enter and supply discover of their look as counsel of file for Respondent South Carolina Republican Social gathering within the above-captioned case. The undersigned counsel respectfully request that the Clerk of Court docket and all counsel of file observe the current look on their respective service lists and direct all future pleadings, correspondence, and different related issues in reference to this enchantment to the addresses set forth under.
(Signature web page to comply with)
Respectfully submitted,
/s/Vordman Carlisle Traywick, III Robert E. Tyson, Jr. (10820) Vordman Carlisle Traywick, III (102123) ROBINSON GRAY STEPP & LAFFITTE, LLC
Submit Workplace Field 11449 Columbia, South Carolina 29211 (803) 929-1400
[email protected] [email protected]
Karl S. Bowers, Jr. (16141)
BOWERS LAW OFFICE, LLC
Submit Workplace Field 50549
Columbia, South Carolina 29250
(803) 753-1099
[email protected]
Counsel for Respondent South Carolina
Republican Social gathering
Columbia, South Carolina
July 20, 2022
