Well, OK. If the S.C. Election Commission says the Horry County Council District 3 election Nov. 2 was so badly flawed that it must be restaged, who are we to object? The commission is not known for whimsically accommodating election losers who complain of irregularities.

Indeed, of the three Horry County candidates who lost Nov. 2, only the District 3 incumbent, Marion Foxworth, persuaded the commission to take remedial action. On Tuesday, the commission denied appeals from S.C. Senate Republican candidate Katherine Jenerette and S.C. House Democratic candidate Dick Withington. The critical difference: Foxworth proved - not just alleged - that voter-registration coding errors in District 3 might have hurt him.

This decision is good for Foxworth but bad for the apparent Election Day 37-vote victor, Republican Joe DeFeo. He now must choose between appealing the commission's new-election order to Circuit Court or accepting a new election. Gov. Mark Sanford would order the special election, which would be held near term.

If DeFeo takes the matter to court, a decision could be months in coming. Foxworth would continue to serve on County Council.

If DeFeo accepts a new election, he could be at a campaign disadvantage. On Nov. 2, he likely benefited from President Bush's presence at the top of the GOP ballot. It's hard to imagine that a wintertime special election devoted solely to District 3 would attract nearly so many voters.

As well, the correction of the irregularities that apparently hurt Foxworth on Nov. 2 could help him in a new election. In appearances before the Horry County Election Commission last month and the state commission this week, the incumbent showed that some voters in heavily Republican District 2 voted in the District 3 election while some residents who should have voted in District 3 were actually coded as District 1 voters. If District 2 folks are out of the picture while legitimate District 3 voters turn out for the new election and vote for Foxworth, he well could be the Round 2 winner.

None of this is to suggest that Horry County residents should rejoice at this situation. Foxworth deserves credit for doing the research necessary to demonstrate that election irregularities could have skewed the Election Day outcome. But it's a pity that District 3 voters, through no fault of their own, must again go to the polls to decide who represents them on County Council. Justice for Foxworth constitutes a burden for them.

Why did this happen?

The District 3 situation has shone a light on Horry County Voter Registration and Elections, no doubt causing some to believe the folks who run and staff the agency don't know what they're doing. Not true.

Director Sandy Martin and her staff manage most elections well, on a shoestring budget. They rely heavily on volunteers to staff election polling places and work hard to train them for the job.

When voter turnouts are light to moderate, as they usually are, elections proceed smoothly in Horry County. This time, thanks to the hotly contested presidential election, new registrations were rampant and the turnout was huge, stressing the system. Despite the problems in District 3, things still went relatively well - a testament to the agency's professionalism under fire.