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SCARBOROUGH WILL LIKELY LOOK TO SC HOUSE FOR HELP IN KEEPING SEAT, WILL PUT ALLIES IN TOUGH SPOT
When State Rep. Wallace Scarborough (R-Charleston) got an ass whooping from box-framed glasses wearing liberal Anne Peterson Hutto, he did what any sore loser would do.
Scarborough filed a formal protest with the State Election Commission over what he claimed were more than 700 illegal votes cast — enough, if upheld, to cast doubt upon the outcome of Peterson Hutto’s 211-vote victory.
Well, that didn’t exactly work out as the commission declined Scarborough’s request for a re-vote. So now he will likely turn to the South Carolina House of Representatives in the hopes that his Lowcountry allies can drum up enough votes to require Charleston County voters to vote again.
This would put Scarborough’s House supporters in a very difficult situation. Do the right thing and uphold the results, or give in to a whiny friend?
Any legislators choosing the former option will be fine. But my guess is that anyone voting in the latter will inevitably regret it.
That’s because the precedent for overturning election results in the legislature is extremely low and doing so for nepotistic reasons would be grounds in many districts — against a strong opponent — for expulsion.
Let’s just put it this way: If it were me, I would rather not deal with countless mail pieces during my 2010 re-election campaign bashing me for overturning Democracy in favor of unethically assisting my buddy.
But will they listen to my flawless advice? I suppose we will soon find out.
(Cartoon: Charleston City Paper)
Overturning an election is a serious thing…but that’s why there is an appeals process. If Scarborough and his legal team can present quantitative legal evidence that more than enough people voted in the election who shouldn’t have, then let’s see it. By appealing and presenting evidence, they are protecting the sanctity of the electoral process.
If not, they need to crawl away into the anonymity of the night.
The best part about the votes Wallace challenged is that there’s a ton of folks who’ve known him since childhood on his list. I dunno about y’all, but that in and of itself tells a tale about Scarborough himself.
Our election preocess is severly flawed. I don’t give a rip about this clown Wallace, but I do care about our ability to have a free and fare election.
If a re-examination of this process happens because of this goober, then so be it.
We must have fair elections, or our way of life crumbles. And we are a bit frayed around the edges already.
Wallace was unanimously rejected by the Elections Commission, although his attorney was the former chairman of the same commission. Wallace, face it, you lost. You had an affair, you shot at linemen for the electric company and you’re an arrogant prick. So… pack up your crap, and head home.
As far as Anne Peterson-Hutto is concerned, I think she’ll be a huge asset to the Democrats in Columbia.
[...] inaccurate reports claiming that a successful appeal to the SC House of Representatives could grant Scarborough a new [...]
Harrell will talk him out of appealing to the House. Nobody in the House wants to deal with that. Republicans will pick that seat up again in 2010 with a better candidate and no Obama on the ticket.
[...] Rep. Wallace Scarborough (R-Charleston), who was defeated last month by 211 votes, protested the results to the State Election Commission on the grounds that there were more than 700 illegal votes cast. His complaint was subsequently denied. [...]