KINGSTREE—One ballot wasn’t enough to find a winner for Seat 5 on the Kingstree Town Council, incumbent Robert McKenzie and challenger Bubba Hammett Jr. tying with 44 votes apiece. The results were declared after five absentee ballots were counted just before 8:00p.m.
Jackie Robinson, the third candidate in the race, received nine votes.
According to Priscilla Cooper, elections chairperson for Williamsburg County, a runoff election will be held between McKenzie and Hammett on Nov. 17.
“I knew it would be close,” Hammett said during a phone interview following announcement. “I had no idea it would be a tie. The last election that Robert (McKenzie) and I were the only two vying for that seat, I think I was, like eight votes shy…Like I said, I knew it would be close, but with that third candidate in there I had no idea it would be a tie.”
Hammett said the election ran smoothly and that he was impressed with the voter turnout.
Out of the 350 to 400 voters he said are registered in district five, Hammett said he saw they 99 votes counted as being a positive sign.
“That’s a good sign that people are interest and they’re getting back out and voting,” Hammett said. “We just need to get them out one more time, and I know that’s going to be tough.”
As far as strategy is concerned, the challenger said he plans to continue the door-to-door campaign he instituted in the past few weeks.
Hammett said he called McKenzie after following when the results were announce and the two had a brief but pleasant conversation.
McKenzie could not be reached for comment.
Seat five was one of three races being decided in Kingstree Nov. 3. Seat 4 incumbent Monica Murdaugh ran unopposed, as did John Floyd for Seat 3. Richard B. Josey, who did not run for reelection, previously held the third sea
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