SC primaries voter guide: What you need to know about candidates, ballots and polling

A sheriff facing a challenger for the first time in 16 years.

A county council seat for which four Bluffton candidates are battling.

The auditor's race, which is a rematch and pits an incumbent against a colleague in a rival county office.

Tuesday's statewide primary looms, featuring a slew of Republicans and handful of Democrats vying for local, state and national offices. Here's a look at who's running and what you need to know before heading to the polls in Beaufort County.

Beaufort County Sheriff

Incumbent P.J. Tanner, a Republican first elected in 1998, faces his first challenger in a primary or general election since 2002.

In his career as sheriff, Tanner said, he is most proud of making the department competitive in the hiring market and structuring a promotion and pay scale based on experience and performance. He also touted the department's forensic laboratory, the county's low property and violent crime rates, its multi-agency hurricane plan and its citizens police academy.

A lifelong resident of Beaufort County, Tanner, 58, began working for the sheriff's office in 1981. He worked as a patrol supervisor, boat patrol officer, law enforcement instructor, court liaison officer, criminal investigator, internal affairs officer, SWAT Team leader, drug task force commander and southern division commander.

From 1995 to 1998, Tanner worked for the S.C. Department of Public Safety. He also worked as a S.C. Bureau of Protective Services Investigator for the executive, judicial and administrative branches of the state government.

"I was born and raised in this county," Tanner said. "I know the people, they know me. Nineteen years has given me the insight, vision and experience to continue the success we have had in the future. When you're winning the game, you don't take the coach out and put the rookie in."

Challenger JoJo Woodward (R), 55, formerly Tanner's captain of the sheriff's office southern division, was born in Charleston and raised in Beaufort and Jasper counties.

Woodward, a Republican, said his main concerns for Beaufort County are getting more "boots on the ground" with community policing, tightening the department's budget, school safety, more traffic enforcement and improving relationships with other law enforcement and government agencies.

He also called Tanner a "reactive sheriff" rather than a proactive one, and said there was a need for a hurricane re-entry plan before Hurricane Matthew in 2016.

"Anything that is going on now is something I believe that Sheriff Tanner is reacting to," Woodward said. "I want to be a proactive sheriff rather than reactive. ... June 12th is going to be a very deciding election. These people didn't have a choice before because no one stepped up to run. I've stepped up because I really do believe I can be a good sheriff."

His career in public safety began when he joined the Hilton Head Island Fire Department in 1984 and graduated from the S.C. Fire Academy. Woodward later began his law enforcement career in 1986 with the sheriff's office.

Woodward then went on to work for the Hardeeville Police Department as a patrol/drug interdiction officer in 1991, before returning to the sheriff's office in 1992 to work in investigations and drug enforcement. He returned to the sheriff's office in 2005 where he was promoted to lieutenant.

He was promoted again to captain in 2013.

Beaufort County Council, District 9

The race to replace outgoing council member Tabor Vaux — a Republican who represents constituents in Bluffton, Pritchardville and Daufuskie Island, and who announced in February he would not seek re-election — has been one of the hottest of the primary season.

Randy Boehme, Mark Lawson, Mike Raymond and Laura Sterling each want to lock up the Republican nomination ahead of November 6's general election, when one of them will face Democrat Mark McGinnis.

Boehme, 59, who moved to Bluffton in 2016, worked in management in the medical services field for 25 years before relocating from Louisville, Ky. Now retired, he was named Beaufort County Volunteer of the Year in 2016 for his litter pickup and Adopt-A-Highway work. A critical part of his platform is a focus on economic development with an awareness of environmental and ecological issues. He suggests increasing use development and impact fees to fund environmental preservation — tree replanting and soil conservation, for example — alongside building projects.

Lawson, 52, has lived in the area since 1990. He is sales and marketing director at BELFOR Property Restoration, where he’s worked since 2013. He’s also been a real estate broker and small business owner, and is heavily involved in youth sports. Lawson's campaign has centered on quality of life issues and "defending" the area from "bad growth." He cited the high-density residential and commercial development previously proposed by Hilton Head National as an example of bad growth. He said the firm line county council has taken with landowners of Malind Pointe and Malind Bluff in Okatie is "smart growth," an attempt to limit density. Lawson ran unsuccessfully for the District 9 seat in 2012.

Raymond, 66, moved to the Lowcountry in 2002. A former business operations consultant, he has chaired the Bluffton Township Fire District board and served a four-year term on Bluffton Town Council. He was also a code enforcement officer for the town’s Department of Environmental Protection. His campaign has focused on amending zoning and development ordinances to better control growth. He has said the county's Community Development Code (CDC), the document that governs planning and growth in the area, needs an overhaul to keep the county out of lawsuits — such as the ongoing court battle between the county and Hilton Head National.

Sterling, 51, is from Fairfax in Allendale County and moved to Bluffon almost two decades ago. She's involved with animal rescue and is an accountant with Bob's Tax Service. She has campaigned on cutting business taxes and amending the Community Development C.ode She has carried a printout of the CDC with her to public meetings and recently called it "the biggest POA/HOA I didn't sign up for." Regarding business licenses, they've become "extreme," she said. "It's just another tax on businesses, and control." Sterling last ran unsuccessfully against U.S. Rep. Jim Clyburn, D-S.C. in 2016 for South Carolina's District 6 seat.

Beaufort County Auditor

Republican incumbent Jim Beckert faces challenger George Wright, who ran against him in 2014 and works in the county treasurer's office. Beckert and county Treasurer Maria Walls — Wright's boss — have butted heads in the past.

Walls and Beckert have long battled over who should set tax deadlines, print and mail tax bills and collect revenue. Walls has accused Beckert of vehicle property tax errors. Beckert once sued Walls, claiming she obtained private information about him and his family when she received his personnel file through an open records request. (The suit was dismissed.)

More recently, the Beaufort County Republican Party accused Beckert of using an anti-Semitic word in an email to a party official — who is Jewish — and asked him to apologize. Beckert said that official gave him the word as part of an email address; he said he thought it was part of her name and meant no harm by using it.

Beckert, 56, is a retired U.S. Army reservist who once directed human resources at Beaufort Memorial Hospital and served on the Beaufort County school board. He has campaigned on a revamped computer system that he says ensures "motor vehicles are now being taxed according to state law, and the guidance of the (S.C.) Dept. of Revenue," at the lowest level. He says he has removed more than $150 million of excess vehicle values from the tax rolls and added $90 million of untaxed property to the rolls.

Wright, 64, the county's deputy treasurer for the past three years, served 20 years in the Marine Corps. He worked as a traffic manager for almost a decade at Vanguard Industries and has been a procurement specialist for the county. Wright disputes Beckert's vehicle valuation method and claims some vehicles aren't being taxed at the correct value. He said he's found more than 80,000 errors in his opponent's system and has pledged to restore working relationships among county departments.

SC House of Representatives races

District 122

Incumbent Rep. Bill Bowers, a Democrat who has served since 1997, faces challenger Shedron Williams for the chance to represent portions of northeastern Beaufort County, and larger portions of Jasper and Hampton counties.

Williams, a Hampton County Council member, says it's time for a change in representation. Williams said he will work for "equitable funding for high quality education" to include recruitment and retention of teachers, and will focus on workforce development to train citizens for job opportunities expected to come to the district.

Bowers said his seniority and committee experience — especially on the Tax Policy Committee — gives his district a voice it might not otherwise have. He wants to reform the state property tax system, which he says takes advantage of rural area through disproportionate tax rates. And he emphasized land preservation and finding more affordable energy options statewide.

District 123

Incumbent Rep. Jeff Bradley, a Republican who has held the post representing Hilton Head and Daufuskie islands since 2014, faces Phil Hartman.

Bradley, an advocate for school choice, according to his website, has pledged to cut taxes and reform the state pension system.

Hartman also supports pension reform, according to his website, and wants to eliminate "waste, fraud and abuse" in the state education system.

The winner will face Democrat Mario Martinez in November.

U.S. House of Representatives, District 01

On the Republican side, incumbent U.S. Rep. Mark Sanford faces two challengers, S.C. Rep. Katie Arrington and Dimitri Cherny.

Cherny, a former Democrat with a tattoo of Bernie Sanders, is a long shot, according to The State newspaper. Arrington has criticized Sanford's "bashing" of President Donald Trump. And Sanford says Arrington's past voting record on fiscal issues doesn't align with true conservative principles.

Joe Cunningham and Toby Smith will battle for the Democratic nod.

Smith lists social justice issues, education and immigration, among others, as issues on her website. Cunningham cites health care and prison reform, among others, on his web page.

Other ballot items

Each political party has two, nonbinding, advisory items on their ballots that won't directly impact law and policy. The parties use them as a way to gauge public opinion.

Democratic primary:

1) Do you support passing a state law allowing doctors to prescribe medical marijuana to patients?

2) Do you support passing a state law requiring the governor of South Carolina to accept all federal revenues offered to support Medicaid and Medicaid expansion efforts in the state?

Republican primary:

1) Do you believe that voters should have the option to choose to affiliate with a political party when they register to vote or change their voter registration in South Carolina?

2) Do you believe that South Carolina’s tax code should be brought into conformity with the new Trump tax cuts in the federal tax code for maximum simplification and to lower the overall tax burden on South Carolina taxpayers and businesses?

Looking ahead

In the event a winner can't be determined in any of Tuesday's races, a runoff will be scheduled for June 26.

Several candidates are running unopposed through the primary and general election.

Current Beaufort County Council Chairman Paul Sommerville (R) is the incumbent from District 2 and will retain the seat he's held since 2007.

Council member Alice Howard (R-District 4), elected in 2015, and newcomer Joseph Passiment (R) — who will fill Jerry Stewart's District 6 seat — won't face opposition.

Neither will Beaufort County Treasurer Maria Walls (R), who was elected to the post four years ago.

Republican State House representatives Shannon Erickson (District 124) and Bill Herbkersman (District 118), both Republicans, as well as Democrat Michael Rivers (District 121) are also running unopposed.

Where and how to vote

• Polls are open 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. June 12. Real-time, unofficial election results will be available online at www.scvotes.org.
• Find polling places by visiting www.scvotes.org, then clicking "Find My Polling Place."
  
  
• Voters don't have to be members of political parties to cast ballots Tuesday, but they can only vote in one party's primary.
  
  
• Voters must have one of the following photo IDs: S.C. driver's license; S.C. Dept. of Motor Vehicles ID card (includes S.C. concealed weapons permit); S.C. voter registration card; U.S. passport or federal military ID (includes all Deptartment of Defense photo IDs and the Department of Veterans Affairs benefits card).

This story was originally published June 8, 2018 at 10:43 AM with the headline "SC primaries voter guide: What you need to know about candidates, ballots and polling."