Two of three incumbents returned

Seneca’s Bill Sandifer was able last night, on his ride home, the realization that he scored nearly 90% of the votes in his bid for a new, two-year term in Columbia as a senior member of the House who sits in seats of high authority in the law-making process of the state’s low chamber.  Republican Sandifer admitted to 101.7/WGOG NEWS that Perry Smith’s write-in campaign scared him – but he added any time he has faced a challenger has amounted to a scare.  The total number of write-in ballots cast in the State House District Two contest was 1,430 – equal to about one out of every ten tabulated.  In the heavily contested, non-partisan Oconee school trustee tussles, there was good news for one incumbent and bad news for another.  District Three first-termer Sandra Sloan warded off a challenge from three opponents.  Sloan’s unofficial count:  1,490.  Which gave her a 378 margin over second finisher Riley Johnson, at 1,112.  John Fallon received 650; Jeremy Hobbs, 541.  In District One, a former Seneca basketball coach and educator, Amanda Holder, topped a three-candidate field.  Holder’s 2,595 were enough to unseat Dean Bare, who tallied 2,205.  Behind Bare was Keri Unsworth at 1,473.  County election officials say they’ll have to pick out just who received all of the write-in votes cast in yesterday’s election.  But late last night they were able to declare Cullen Jackson and Carlton Overholt as write-in winners for two available seats as Beaverdam Water Conservation District commissioners.  Each received three votes.  They are not yet able to declare the winners of two soil and water district seats, although Bob Winchester tallied 17,941.  Write-in numbers will dictate the winner of a second soil and water seat.  In all, a total of 29,144 votes were cast in the midterm elections, a percentage of 54.36% of all who were eligible.