Who won the local Jasper County elections? Here are the results for each race
Jasper County voters elected new leaders Tuesday: a sheriff, coroner, and two county council members.
Fourteenth Circuit Solicitor’s Office investigator Donald Hipp followed up his June primary victory, when he unseated Sheriff Chris Malphrus, to secure the sheriff’s job Tuesday night with 62.21% of the vote.
Gary Morris, who was Malphrus’ second in command, received 37.40% of the vote. Morris was added to Tuesday’s ballot following Malphrus’ loss in the Democratic primary. He gathered more than 1,000 signatures and became a petition candidate with Malphrus’ endorsement.
More than 3,200 votes separated Hipp and Morris.
“I’m feeling great,” Hipp said late Tuesday night. “I’m overwhelmed, but at the same time, I’m humbled.”
He said he was thankful for the voters who turned out in large numbers and for his campaign manager and team, who called themselves “Team Hipp” and had been out working “nonstop.”
Hipp said he’ll form a command staff in the next couple of weeks “with some very reliable and certified officers.”
“We’re going to do some big things in Jasper County,” Hipp said. “We’re going to bring some big changes, not only to the department itself, but to Jasper County as a whole.”
He said he’s excited to take on the “incredible responsibility” of sheriff.
Morris said his election loss means he’ll be retiring. “I knew what my Plan B was,” he said Tuesday night.
Morris said he and Hipp “agreed early on to run our race on our platforms and not sling mud, and we did that. I just gave the citizens another option, and they chose Donald, and I support that.” He said he has offered to help Hipp if he needs it in the future.
“We were friends before, and we’ll be friends after,” he said.
Of the three Jasper County Council races on the ballot, only one was contested.
Republican John Kemp won the at-large council seat with 52.92% of the vote. Democrat Samuel Gregory, who defeated incumbent Tom Johnson in the June Democratic primary, received 47.01%.
Kemp won the close race by 842 votes.
“I’m looking forward to Jan. 3,” Kemp said referring to the day he will be sworn in. “I’m ready to work. I’ve always been doing work within the county, and I know what’s going on so I’m ready to hit the ground running.”
Two of the five Jasper County School Board districts races were contested.
District 1 had three candidates, all newcomers.
Shalonda Toomer won the district with 44.70% of the votes. She ran against Alberto Fernandez and Rosetta Holman, who received 18.84% and 35.85% of the votes, respectively.
In District 7, Priscilla Fraser received 70.34% of the vote, defeating incumbent Jerold Murray, who had 29.31%.
Coroner, county council, school board, Hardeeville races
The following candidates won their uncontested races:
- Jasper County coroner: Willie Patrick Aiken III, who won the June Democratic primary by beating the 40-year incumbent, Martin Sauls III, and Jeremiah E Vaigneur II
- Jasper County Council Hardeeville Township seat: incumbent Democrat Barbara B. Clark
- Jasper County Council Pocotaligo seat: Alvin Abby Adkins, who unseated incumbent Henry Etheridge in the June Democratic primary
- Jasper County Clerk of Court: incumbent Democrat Margaret Bostick
- Jasper County School Board District 3: incumbent Berty Riley
Jasper County School Board District 5: incumbent Daisy L. Mitchell
Jasper County School Board District 9: incumbent Priscilla Green
Jasper County Soil and Water Conservation: incumbent Lonnie Micky Ginn
City of Hardeeville Mayor: incumbent Harry Williams
Hardeeville City Council: incumbents Bo White and John M. Carroll
Voter turnout
Jasper County voters cast 14,485 ballots during the 2020 general election, a 66.25% voter turnout, according to data from the state election’s office.
More than a third of Jasper County’s registered voters filed absentee ballots ahead of Tuesday, with 7,320 counted as of noon Monday.
As of Oct. 2, the county had 21,701 residents registered to vote.
In the 2018 general election, 9,467 ballots were cast with 18,796 people registered to vote.
In 2016, the last presidential election, 12,071 people voted of 17,906 registered.
This story was originally published November 3, 2020 at 10:05 PM.
