South Carolina Secretary of State election, 2022

Elections in South Carolina, 2022

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← 2018
South Carolina Secretary of State
Democratic primary Republican primary General election
Election details
Filing deadline: March 30, 2022
Primary: June 14, 2022 Primary runoff: June 28, 2022 General: November 8, 2022 Pre-election incumbent(s): Mark Hammond (Republican)
How to vote
Poll times: 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Voting in South Carolina
Ballotpedia analysis
Federal and state primary competitiveness State executive elections in 2022 Impact of term limits in 2022 State government trifectas State government triplexes Ballotpedia's Election Analysis Hub, 2022
South Carolina executive elections
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South Carolina held an election for secretary of state on November 8, 2022. The primary was scheduled for June 14, 2022, and a primary runoff was scheduled for June 28, 2022. The filing deadline was March 30, 2022. This was one of 27 elections for secretary of state taking place in 2022. Click here for an overview of these races. All but three states have a secretary of state. Although the specific duties and powers of the office vary from state to state, secretaries of state are often responsible for the maintenance of voter rolls and for administering elections. Other common responsibilities include registering businesses, maintaining state records, and certifying official documents. At the time of the 2022 elections, there were 27 Republican secretaries of state and 20 Democratic secretaries of state.

A state government triplex refers to a situation where the governor, attorney general, and secretary of state are all members of the same political party. Heading into the 2022 elections, there were 23 Republican triplexes, 18 Democratic triplexes, and nine divided governments where neither party held triplex control.

Incumbent Mark Hammond won election in the general election for South Carolina Secretary of State.

For more information about the primaries in this election, click on the links below:

• South Carolina Secretary of State election, 2022 (June 14 Democratic primary)
• South Carolina Secretary of State election, 2022 (June 14 Republican primary)

Candidates and election results

General election

General election for South Carolina Secretary of State

Incumbent Mark Hammond defeated Rosemounda Peggy Butler in the general election for South Carolina Secretary of State on November 8, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Mark Hammond (R)	63.3	1,071,451
		Rosemounda Peggy Butler (D)	36.6	619,341
		Other/Write-in votes	0.1	1,109

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 1,691,901
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
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Democratic primary election

The Democratic primary election was canceled. Rosemounda Peggy Butler advanced from the Democratic primary for South Carolina Secretary of State.

Republican primary election

Republican primary for South Carolina Secretary of State

Incumbent Mark Hammond defeated Keith Blandford in the Republican primary for South Carolina Secretary of State on June 14, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Mark Hammond	75.1	257,131
		Keith Blandford	24.9	85,050

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 342,181
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Voting information

See also: Voting in South Carolina

Election information in South Carolina: Nov. 8, 2022, election.

What was the voter registration deadline?

• In-person: Oct. 7, 2022
• By mail: Postmarked by Oct. 11, 2022
• Online: Oct. 9, 2022

Was absentee/mail-in voting available to all voters?

No

What was the absentee/mail-in ballot request deadline?

• In-person: Oct. 28, 2022
• By mail: Received by Oct. 28, 2022
• Online: N/A

What was the absentee/mail-in ballot return deadline?

• In-person: Nov. 8, 2022
• By mail: Received by Nov. 8, 2022

Was early voting available to all voters?

Yes

What were the early voting start and end dates?

Oct. 24, 2022 to Nov. 5, 2022

Were all voters required to present ID at the polls? If so, was a photo or non-photo ID required?

N/A

When were polls open on Election Day?

7 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey responses

Ballotpedia asks all federal, state, and local candidates to complete a survey and share what motivates them on political and personal levels. The section below shows responses from candidates in this race who completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

Survey responses from candidates in this race

Click on a candidate's name to visit their Ballotpedia page.

Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.

Expand all | Collapse all

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

Rosemounda Peggy Butler (D)

I want to create a minority task force to assist small businesses in receiving funding from the Small Business Administration Grants that are being provided by the federal government, as diversity and inclusion is paramount in building a better and brighter future for SC.

It is imperative that recruit companies to SC that will pay higher wages to their employees as well as create incentives for small business that will enable them to pay their employees a decent salary

SC can do much more to attract larger businesses businesses in order to keep our college graduates in the state to increase our workforce. Our young adults actually would love to live and work in their home state; however, they often go out of state in search of more lucrative opportunities

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

Rosemounda Peggy Butler (D)

Peggy is passionate about ensuring that People with Disabilities rights are supported and protected in SC thru accessibility and inclusion in education, employment, and employment.

Peggy also wants to ensure better health care choices for veterans and service members who have served and fought for Democracy.

She's also passionate for women's rights issues.

What qualities does this office possess that makes it a unique and important part of the state government and legal system?

Rosemounda Peggy Butler (D)

Licensing businesses is paramount to the success of the State and its future.

Who do you look up to? Whose example would you like to follow, and why?

Rosemounda Peggy Butler (D)

My Mother, the late Wilhelmenia Percell, who the first Union Rep on her job as a seamstress in in 1968. I would like to follow the example of my daughter, Rev. Dr. Dee Dawkins Haigler, a 2022 Nobel Peace Prize Nominee. Even though she's had some personal health challenges, she's never allowed them to deter her from travelling to other Countries as a humanitarian. She always leads by example..

Is there a book, essay, film, or something else you would recommend to someone who wants to understand your political philosophy?

Rosemounda Peggy Butler (D)

The Audacity of Hope, President Barack Obama

What characteristics or principles are most important for an elected official?

Rosemounda Peggy Butler (D)

Honesty and Integrity

What do you believe are the core responsibilities for someone elected to this office?

Rosemounda Peggy Butler (D)

A business mindset with a heart of a servant leader.

What is the first historical event that happened in your lifetime that you remember? How old were you at the time?

Rosemounda Peggy Butler (D)

The Assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. 16 yrs old

What was your very first job? How long did you have it?

Rosemounda Peggy Butler (D)

Switchboard operator 5 years

What responsibilities of this office do you personally consider the most important?

Rosemounda Peggy Butler (D)

All of the business components.

Are there any little-known powers or responsibilities held by this office that you believe more people should be aware of?

Rosemounda Peggy Butler (D)

Yes, this office solely oversees the Electoral College and Certifies their 9 votes every four years after a presidential election.

Do you believe that it's beneficial for holders of this office to have previous experience in government or politics?

Rosemounda Peggy Butler (D)

Yes.

Past elections

2018

See also: South Carolina Secretary of State election, 2018

General election

General election for South Carolina Secretary of State

Incumbent Mark Hammond defeated Melvin Whittenburg in the general election for South Carolina Secretary of State on November 6, 2018.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Mark Hammond (R)	57.1	970,576
		Melvin Whittenburg (D)	42.8	727,952
		Other/Write-in votes	0.1	968

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 1,699,496
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for South Carolina Secretary of State

Melvin Whittenburg advanced from the Democratic primary for South Carolina Secretary of State on June 12, 2018.

		Candidate
✔		Melvin Whittenburg

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified.
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Republican primary election

Republican primary for South Carolina Secretary of State

Incumbent Mark Hammond defeated Joshua Putnam, Nelson Faerber, and Kerry Wood in the Republican primary for South Carolina Secretary of State on June 12, 2018.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Mark Hammond	65.4	218,215
		Joshua Putnam	13.4	44,639
		Nelson Faerber	12.5	41,570
		Kerry Wood	8.7	29,075

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified.	Total votes: 333,499
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

2014

See also: South Carolina secretary of state election, 2014

Republican incumbent Mark Hammond won re-election on November 4, 2014.

Secretary of State of South Carolina, 2014
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Republican	Mark Hammond Incumbent	59.5%	730,739
	Democratic	Ginny Deerin	40.4%	496,344
	Nonpartisan	Write-in votes	0.1%	788
Total Votes				1,227,871
Election results via South Carolina State Election Commission

Election analysis

Click the tabs below to view information about demographics, past elections, and partisan control of the state.

• Presidential elections - Information about presidential elections in the state.
• Statewide elections - Information about recent U.S. Senate and gubernatorial elections in the state.
• State partisanship - The partisan makeup of the state's congressional delegation and state government.
• Demographics - Information about the state's demographics and how they compare to the country as a whole.

Presidential elections

See also: Presidential voting trends in South Carolina and The Cook Political Report's Partisan Voter Index

Cook PVI by congressional district

Cook Political Report's Partisan Voter Index for South Carolina, 2022
District	Incumbent	Party	PVI
South Carolina's 1st	Nancy Mace	Republican	R+7
South Carolina's 2nd	Joe Wilson	Republican	R+8
South Carolina's 3rd	Jeff Duncan	Republican	R+21
South Carolina's 4th	William Timmons	Republican	R+12
South Carolina's 5th	Ralph Norman	Republican	R+12
South Carolina's 6th	Jim Clyburn	Democratic	D+14
South Carolina's 7th	Tom Rice	Republican	R+11

2020 presidential results by 2022 congressional district lines

2020 presidential results in congressional districts based on 2022 district lines, South Carolina
District	Joe Biden	Donald Trump
South Carolina's 1st	44.9%	53.5%
South Carolina's 2nd	43.9%	54.5%
South Carolina's 3rd	30.6%	68.0%
South Carolina's 4th	39.8%	58.4%
South Carolina's 5th	40.2%	58.4%
South Carolina's 6th	65.3%	33.2%
South Carolina's 7th	40.2%	58.8%

2012-2020

How a state's counties vote in a presidential election and the size of those counties can provide additional insights into election outcomes at other levels of government including statewide and congressional races. Below, four categories are used to describe each county's voting pattern over the 2012, 2016, and 2020 presidential elections: Solid, Trending, Battleground, and New. Click [show] on the table below for examples:

County-level voting pattern categories
Democratic
Status	2012	2016	2020
Solid Democratic	D	D	D
Trending Democratic	R	D	D
Battleground Democratic	D	R	D
New Democratic	R	R	D
Republican
Status	2012	2016	2020
Solid Republican	R	R	R
Trending Republican	D	R	R
Battleground Republican	R	D	R
New Republican	D	D	R

Following the 2020 presidential election, 71.8% of South Carolinians lived in one of the state's 25 Solid Republican counties, which voted for the Republican presidential candidate in every election from 2012 to 2020, and 23.6% lived in one of 13 Solid Democratic counties. Overall, South Carolina was Solid Republican, having voted for Mitt Romney (R) in 2012, Donald Trump (R) in 2016, and Donald Trump (R) in 2020. Use the table below to view the total number of each type of county in South Carolina following the 2020 election as well as the overall percentage of the state population located in each county type.

South Carolina county-level statistics, 2020
Solid Republican	25	71.8%
Solid Democratic	13	23.6%
Trending Republican	6	3.5%
New Republican	2	1.2%
Total voted Democratic	13	23.6%
Total voted Republican	33	76.4%

Historical voting trends

South Carolina presidential election results (1900-2020)

• 16 Democratic wins
• 14 Republican wins
• 1 other win

Year	1900	1904	1908	1912	1916	1920	1924	1928	1932	1936	1940	1944	1948	1952	1956	1960	1964	1968	1972	1976	1980	1984	1988	1992	1996	2000	2004	2008	2012	2016	2020
Winning Party	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	SR	D	D	D	R	R	R	D	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R

Statewide elections

This section details the results of the five most recent U.S. Senate and gubernatorial elections held in the state.

U.S. Senate elections

See also: List of United States Senators from South Carolina

The table below details the vote in the five most recent U.S. Senate races in South Carolina.

U.S. Senate election results in South Carolina
Race	Winner	Runner up
2020	54.5%	44.2%
2016	60.5%	37.0%
2014	54.3%	38.8%
2014	61.1%	37.1%
2010	62.4%	28.2%
Average	58.6	37.1

Gubernatorial elections

See also: Governor of South Carolina

The table below details the vote in the five most recent gubernatorial elections in South Carolina.

Gubernatorial election results in South Carolina
Race	Winner	Runner up
2018	54.0%	45.9%
2014	55.9%	41.4%
2010	51.4%	46.9%
2006	55.1%	44.8%
2002	52.9%	47.0%
Average	53.9	45.2

State partisanship

Congressional delegation

The table below displays the partisan composition of South Carolina's congressional delegation as of November 2022.

Congressional Partisan Breakdown from South Carolina, November 2022
Party	U.S. Senate	U.S. House	Total
Democratic	0	1	1
Republican	2	6	8
Independent	0	0	0
Vacancies	0	0	0
Total	2	7	9

State executive

The table below displays the officeholders in South Carolina's top four state executive offices as of November 2022.

State executive officials in South Carolina, November 2022
Office	Officeholder
Governor	Henry McMaster
Lieutenant Governor	Pamela Evette
Secretary of State	Mark Hammond
Attorney General	Alan Wilson

State legislature

The tables below highlight the partisan composition of the South Carolina State Legislature as of November 2022.

South Carolina State Senate

Party		As of November 2022
	Democratic Party	16
	Republican Party	30
	Vacancies	0
Total		46

South Carolina House of Representatives

Party		As of November 2022
	Democratic Party	43
	Republican Party	80
	Vacancies	1
Total		124

Trifecta control

As of November 2022, South Carolina was a Republican trifecta, with majorities in both chambers of the state legislature and control of the governorship. The table below displays the historical trifecta status of the state.

South Carolina Party Control: 1992-2022
No Democratic trifectas  •  Twenty years of Republican trifectas
Scroll left and right on the table below to view more years.

Year	92	93	94	95	96	97	98	99	00	01	02	03	04	05	06	07	08	09	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	22
Governor	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	D	D	D	D	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R
Senate	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R
House	D	D	D	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R

Demographics

The table below details demographic data in South Carolina and compares it to the broader United States as of 2019.

Demographic Data for South Carolina
	South Carolina	United States
Population	4,625,364	308,745,538
Land area (sq mi)	30,064	3,531,905
Race and ethnicity**
White	67.2%	72.5%
Black/African American	26.8%	12.7%
Asian	1.6%	5.5%
Native American	0.4%	0.8%
Pacific Islander	0.1%	0.2%
Two or more	2.3%	3.3%
Hispanic/Latino	5.7%	18%
Education
High school graduation rate	87.5%	88%
College graduation rate	28.1%	32.1%
Income
Median household income	$53,199	$62,843
Persons below poverty level	15.2%	13.4%
Source: population provided by U.S. Census Bureau, "Decennial Census" (2010). Other figures provided by U.S. Census Bureau, "American Community Survey" (5-year estimates 2014-2019).
**Note: Percentages for race and ethnicity may add up to more than 100 percent because respondents may report more than one race and the Hispanic/Latino ethnicity may be selected in conjunction with any race. Read more about race and ethnicity in the census here.

External links

• Search Google News for this topic
• South Carolina secretary of state official website