City of Greenville voters approved a 1% sales tax 2 to 1, and both county road tax questions are failing. House District 27 is 42 votes apart. Unofficial results, race by race.
City of Greenville voters approved a 1% city sales tax by roughly 2 to 1 on Tuesday, according to unofficial results. Both countywide tax questions are failing. One of them is separated by 456 votes, close enough to trigger an automatic recount under state law.
In the state House, Republicans lead in all nine contested races in districts wholly inside Greenville County. District 27 is the closest: 42 votes separate the two candidates.
The figures are the unofficial election night results from Greenville County Voter Registration and Elections, posted at 9:46 p.m. Tuesday on the state’s election results site. All 151 precincts had reported. Provisional ballots had not been counted.
School board and County Council results, including a County Council race separated by 28 votes, are in our school board and County Council results story.
The county reported 216,633 ballots cast from 348,950 registered voters, a turnout of 62.08%.
The tax questions
| Question | Yes | No | Yes share |
|---|---|---|---|
| City of Greenville 1% sales tax and property tax credit | 19,070 | 9,549 | 66.6% |
| County Question 1: 1% sales tax for roads, transit and greenbelts | 101,947 | 108,280 | 48.5% |
| County Question 2: up to $150 million in bonds | 103,938 | 104,394 | 49.9% |
| City of Mauldin tax relief | 6,397 | 5,410 | 54.2% |
| City of Simpsonville tax relief | 5,189 | 5,042 | 50.7% |
| Travelers Rest tax relief | 1,582 | 1,203 | 56.8% |
The city tax. The city question asked for a 1% sales tax inside the city limits for up to eight years. It would fund a credit on city property tax for people who own and live in their homes, and $410.1 million for 521 listed projects. Our guide to what the $410 million would build has the full breakdown, including the $20 million Wade Hampton Boulevard project. The city had not posted a statement on the result or a start date for the tax by Wednesday afternoon.
The county questions. Question 1 asked for a 1% countywide tax raising up to $1.1 billion, mostly for roads. It trails by 6,333 votes. Question 2 asked to borrow up to $150 million against that tax. It trails by 456 votes, about 0.22% of the 208,332 votes cast on it.
State law requires a recount when the margin on a question is not more than 1% of the votes cast on it, under Section 7-17-280 of the South Carolina Code. The same section sets the 1% rule for candidates.
Three other cities in the county voted on their own tax relief questions. Yes leads in all three:
- Mauldin, about five miles southeast, by 987 votes
- Simpsonville, about 11 miles southeast, by 147 votes
- Travelers Rest, about nine miles north, by 379 votes
Simpsonville’s margin is about 1.4% of the 10,231 votes cast, just outside the recount line.
State House races in Greenville County
These 11 districts lie wholly in Greenville County. The leader is in bold.
| District | Republican | Democrat | Margin |
|---|---|---|---|
| 17 | Mike Burns, 13,654 | Rich Nicoloff, 5,393 | 8,261 |
| 18 | Alan Morgan, 11,761 | Virginia B. Maclure, 5,808 | 5,953 |
| 19 | Patrick B. Haddon, 6,749 | Rachel Smith, 6,380 | 369 |
| 20 | Stephen D. Frank, 9,860 | Polly Elbertse, 6,302 | 3,558 |
| 21 | Dianne Mitchell, 11,573 | Dexter Reaves, 7,436 | 4,137 |
| 22 | Paul Wickensimer, 9,856 | Josh Kendrick, 8,872 | 984 |
| 23 | No candidate | Chandra Dillard, 9,253 | Unopposed |
| 24 | Bruce Bannister, 10,192 | Caroline Avinger, 9,382 | 810 |
| 25 | No candidate | Wendell Jones, 10,920 | Unopposed |
| 27 | David Vaughan, 9,135 | John MacCarthy, 9,093 | 42 |
| 28 | Chris Huff, 10,511 | Alan G. Buckalew, 8,966 | 1,545 |
Write-in votes are left out of the table. District 23 had 151 and District 25 had 177.
District 27 is the race to watch. Vaughan leads MacCarthy by 42 votes out of 18,236 cast, about 0.23%. That is inside the 1% margin at which state law requires a recount unless the trailing candidate waives it in writing.
District 19 is the next closest. Haddon leads Smith by 369 votes, about 2.8% of the votes cast.
Districts that reach into Greenville County
Five more House districts include part of the county. These are districtwide totals from the South Carolina Election Commission, also unofficial.
| District | Republican | Democrat |
|---|---|---|
| 5 | Neal Collins, 10,608 | David F. Jones, 4,777 |
| 7 | Lee Gilreath, 8,644 | Elizabeth W. Cooley, 4,164 |
| 10 | Thomas Beach, 9,865 | Thomas Stewart, 5,039 |
| 16 | Mark N. Willis, 10,764 | Lynn Ramirez, 7,718 |
| 35 | Bill Chumley, 12,115 | Tatiana Skipper, 7,867 |
What happens next
The results are not final until the county board of canvassers certifies them. Under Section 7-17-10 of the state code, the board meets at the county seat Friday, Nov. 6. It must finish its canvass by noon Saturday, Nov. 7. Provisional ballots are decided before then. Under Section 7-17-280, the board of canvassers orders any recount.
Not sure which House district you live in? Your sample ballot on MyscVOTES lists it.
What it means for you
- If you live in the city of Greenville, a 1% city sales tax follows if the result holds, and with it a credit on your city property tax bill if you own and live in your home. The city has not announced timing. See how your bill is built on our property taxes page.
- If you live elsewhere in the county, the countywide 1% road tax is failing, so no new countywide sales tax is coming for now.
- District 27 and county Question 2 may change in a recount. We will update this page when the county certifies.
- Road work already underway is on our road construction and closures page, and election information stays on our voting guide.
All results on this page are unofficial and may change. Greenville Local Today does not endorse candidates or take positions on ballot questions.
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