Trout Calls For Formal Vote Investigation

GREENVILLE, S.C. -- The man who won the Republican runoff election June 22 for District 18 on the Greenville County Council has asked authorities to investigate charges of voting irregularities.

Tony Trout doesn't believe he or his supporters did anything wrong. But he thinks a formal investigation is the only way to silence criticism by the man he beat by 18 votes, incumbent Steve Selby.

"The only one that's investigated this so far within the last two weeks is the loser and his lawyer," Trout told WYFF News 4. "And that's been it. No impartial body has stood up, like the sheriff's office or solicitor's office, and said look, if these are illegal acts, we need to look into this."

Selby claimed some of the votes were illegal and shouldn't be counted. The Greenville County Republican Committee reviewed the matter and agreed that a new vote should be taken. The state Republican Party agreed a week and a half later.

Trout maintains there is no evidence to support Selby's accusation. He asked the county solicitor's office and the county sheriff to launch an impartial criminal investigation of the vote. If laws were broken, then the people responsible should be held to account, Trout said.

"Someone needs to be accountable for it," Selby said. "I'm a retired law enforcement officer. I abide by the laws. This protest is following the laws as outlined by state statutes. We're following them to the letter."

Trout said he also plans to file an appeal of the two Republican Party decisions with the South Carolina Supreme Court.

Previous Stories:

• July 12, 2004: What's Next In The District 18 Runoff Debate?
• July 11, 2004: District 18 Runoff Debate Heads To Supreme Court
• July 2, 2004: Hearing Spurs Debate About Party Registration
• July 2, 2004: Voting Irregularities At Center Of District 18 Runoff Dispute
• July 2, 2004: District 18 Race Appeal Heads To State GOP Committee
• July 2, 2004: Parent Sues Greenville Schools Over Middle School Incident
• July 2, 2004: Greenville County GOP Calls For New District 18 Runoff Election
• June 28, 2004: Selby To Contest Runoff Election Results
• June 24, 2004: Recount Shows Trout Still Winner In District 18 Race