Lexington, SC (Paul Kirby) – In Lexington County, the political races that most affect your daily lives are usually decided in June, not November. Some of you already are displaying your shocked faces, but that’s the whole truth and nothing but the truth. Perhaps an explanation might help.
On Tuesday, June 9th, the Republican primary will be held across our county and the state. Republican or not, if you don’t vote then, you will not have the chance to make your voice heard in many races in November. That’s just the way it is in Lexington County. When November comes, you can still vote for Democrats if you like, but for most local races there’ll be no choice for many of the offices that are local or state.
Anyone who doesn’t understand this needs to know the makeup of the citizens of Lexington County. This county’s residents are largely Conservatives and Christian. Traditionally, they cast their votes that way. Because of their conservative beliefs, most vote for Republicans. Except for one senate seat held by Senator Nikki Setzler, a Democrat, there is currently no seat in Lexington County that is held by a Democrat that lives here in this county. There may be some Democrats whose districts sneak into Lexington County a bit, but none of those representatives live here and only the residents of this county who live in those little slivers of districts can vote for or against them. Sorry folks, but that’s just the way it is and has been for some time.
What does that mean for you? There are some hotly contested races right now to select who’ll govern us in the coming years. These are the people who make decisions about roads, school funding, our school buses, and more. They have a great deal of power to decide how many firemen are on the trucks, how many ambulances run our streets, and yes even when dirt roads are paved.
Sheriff Koon is being challenged this election cycle. He oversees the deputies on road patrol, all the special divisions, the detention center, code enforcement, and more. His job is very important and next Tuesday you’ll have the chance to decide if he stays or goes.
Voting for these positions is very important. If you don’t like how things are going now, you can help make a change with your vote. If things aren’t improved by the next election, the majority can vote that person out and replace him or her with someone else. This is where your vote really matters!
Remember you were told earlier that no one runs in Lexington County on the Democratic ticket? That statement is absolutely true. Anyone who leans even a smidge liberal and decides to file as a Democrat in Lexington County is almost 100% sure to fail at the polls. The dreaded D behind their name is usually the kiss of death for their candidacy in Lexington County. They may as well go ahead and order a headstone, because their cause is almost certainly dead on arrival.

The job of a primary is to take all candidates who are of the same political party and running for the same seat, and pare them down to one the party will support in November. Theoretically, that candidate would go up against the Democrat on November 3rd. That’s where that little plan hits a snag. There are no Democratic candidates here, so on November 3rd, whoever won in June, gets the job by default! For example, if you skip voting in June and wait to vote in November’s General Election, your ballot then will read: State House District 88 select one: Smith, John (Republican) or BLANK . Mr. Blank runs year after year, but we’ve never seen him win. Of course, we aren’t aware of any John Smith running, but we hope you get the point. The winner on June 9th is the winner overall!
It is imperative you vote next Tuesday, June 9th to select who will lead you in coming years. If you don’t vote then, no one wants to listen to you complain about the bumpy dirt road you live on, the deputy that seems to takes forever when your lawnmower suddenly walks away, or an ambulance that carries you to the hospital that sounds like it needs an ambulance itself! If your state taxes go up, they won’t even consider legalizing marijuana in our state, or the government wants to take your guns away, don’t moan and whine to those who did their civic duty and voted on June 9th. I can assure you they don’t want to hear your opinion now when you wouldn’t make it known in June!
Some day this may change, but not before next Tuesday. Either the makeup of our citizens will need to flip, or the Republicans will completely change how they think and what they stand for. I’m sorry Democrats of Lexington County, but right now and in the immediate future, it looks like you’ll be vastly outnumbered for many years to come!
The polls are open in Lexington at the annex behind the Lizards Thicket and the Cookout on West Main Street in Lexington. My personal experience on Thursday, June, 4th was it took me less than ten minutes for my wife and I to cast our vote. Vote now, vote Tuesday, just vote!
