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Article published Jun 15, 2004
Bright protesting outcome in S.C. Senate primary
race
Susan
Orr
Staff Writer
Lee Bright has filed a formal protest
against the results of last week's primary election, in which he lost to state
Sen. John Hawkins by only 31 votes.Because the margin of victory was so small,
the election results from the District 12 Republican primary were confirmed with
a recount Thursday. Those numbers showed that Bright earned 4,731 votes to
Hawkins' 4,762.Monday, Bright filed a protest containing 18 allegations that he
claims cast the results of the election into doubt.Bright said he did not file
the protest because he believes there was any wrongdoing or fraud in the way the
election was run, but that he wants the election results to be scrutinized
because the outcome was so close."It's an issue that I believe I owe it to my
supporters to look into," Bright said."I'd be remiss if I didn't at least put
forth the effort to see that this is valid."A statewide committee of Republican
leaders will hold a hearing this week on the protest -- something the state's
party leader said is a very unusual occurrence."We're plowing new ground
here,"said Katon Dawson, the S.C. Republican Party chairman.Bright was out of
town on vacation Monday, but he said he had volunteers at Spartanburg's voter
registration office who were looking through election returns for
irregularities.Many of the allegations in the protest focus on who was allowed
to vote and how the election was run. One claim, for instance, is that people
who did not reside in District 12 were allowed to vote in the race, and another
is that some voters cast ballots both in person and as absentees.Barbara
Blanchard, Spartanburg County's director of voter registration, said she does
not believe there is any validity to Bright's claims."They don't have merit,"
she said.Hawkins said the protest is unnecessary."We won the vote, those results
were certified. We won the recount, those results were certified," he
said."What's at issue here is really the integrity of the entire process, and I
have faith in that process," Hawkins said.Bright's protest includes a request
for a new election, and it will be up to a group of Republican leaders to decide
whether or not to grant that request.At 10 a.m. Thursday in Columbia, members of
the S.C. Republican Party's executive committee will hold a hearing on Bright's
protest. The committee is made up of one party member from each county.According
to state law, each candidate in a protested race has the right to be represented
by legal counsel, to examine and cross-examine witnesses and to show evidence
related to the grounds of the protest.Both Hawkins and Bright have hired
attorneys to represent them in the matter.After the hearing, which is open to
the public, the executive committee will go into executive session to decide
whether to uphold the election results or order a new election.Susan Orr can be
reached at 877-3225, 574-5980 or susan.orr@shj.com.