Spartanburg County GOP rejects Alex Turner's primary protest, upholds Jessica Coker's win
Defeated Spartanburg County Council candidate Alex Turner lost his bid to decertify his primary election loss to incumbent District 6 Councilwoman Jessica Coker.
Turner claimed several irregularities in a protest filed with the Spartanburg County Republican Party after losing the June 14 Republican primary to Coker 1,726 to 1,481 votes. The difference was 245 votes, or a margin of 53.82% to 46.18%
At a protest hearing Thursday, Turner claimed GOP officials were not impartial and actively supported the incumbents on the ballot. He also claimed election signs were stolen, and that a rule requiring election signs be 500 feet from a polling site was not followed by incumbents.
He said a police report was filed over signs that had been either stolen or taken down.
Adam Hammons, director of elections for Spartanburg County, said poll managers are aware of the 500-foot rule and are trained to respond if told there is a violation.
For future elections, Hammons said the 500-foot limit will be clearly marked at each precinct.
Jarred Spencer, who chaired the hearing on Thursday, said according to State Election Commission bylaws, it is up to county parties to handle primary election challenges.
Spencer said the county GOP Executive Committee was asked to decide whether the irregularities cited by Turner would have changed the outcome.
The committee voted 39-5 to reject Turner's protest and certify the result declaring Coker the winner.
Turner said his main objective was to restore trust in the voting process.
"People no longer trust our elections," he stated in his complaint. "This must change and it starts with the adherence to all election laws.
Coker, Walker, Mabry win GOP primaries: Spartanburg County Council incumbents Jessica Coker, Bob Walker, Jack Mabry win primaries
At the hearing, Turner said, "I didn't know it would be this big of an ordeal. My goal is not to overturn this. I have no issue with (Coker). I plan to vote for her in the next election.
"I'm here to put this on record what I saw. My goal is not to divide the party, but to strengthen the party. I saw no other way to get this on the record, to address these issues."
Coker also testified, and said she did not see any irregularities. If she was told that any of her election signs were in violation, she said she would have removed them.
Coker's attorney, Travis Moore, said party officials are allowed to support candidates. He also said, since Turner was not objecting to Coker winning the primary, he should take his complaints to the county Republican Party's rules committee.
Coker, a certified public accountant, was first elected to County Council in 2020 to serve the remainder of Roger Nutt's term. Nutt left County Council after winning the District 34 seat in the state House of Representatives.
Coker said fixing roads, supporting small businesses and public safety agencies are priorities.
Turner is a businessman/contractor and Eagle Scout who lives in the Fairforest area of the county. He is also a volunteer firefighter.
He said planning, preparing for growth and addressing poor roads and increasing traffic congestion are the major issues.
Greenville GOP overturns primary: Greenville County Republican Party overturns primary over alleged voting irregularities
In another Republican Party challenge last Thursday, the Greenville County Republican Party voted 50 to 13 to overturn a Greenville County Council District 17 primary result and declare incumbent Councilman Joe Dill the winner.
Joey Russo had won the June 14 GOP primary by 132 votes, but Dill filed a protest over alleged voting irregularities.
A hearing was held, and the county's executive committee voted to overturn the result.
Contact Bob Montgomery at bob.montgomery@shj.com. Please support our coverage of Spartanburg County with a digital subscription.
This article originally appeared on Herald-Journal: Spartanburg County GOP upholds Councilwoman Coker's primary win
