COASTAL OBSERVER

Jarrod Ownbey will fill the vacant District 6 seat on the Georgetown County School Board, according to preliminary results from Tuesday’s special election.

Election Day saw 554 votes cast in Pawleys Island. Ownbey, an attorney, won by 67 votes over Jon Tester, a retired district teacher and administrator. A third candidate in the non-partisan election, Alex Belser, finished in third place.

The candidates ran to fill the unexpired term of Kristie Baxley, who was elected in November and resigned in February. The special election date was set according to state law. Voters in Pawleys Precincts 1, 2, 3 and 5 voted at the Waccamaw Recreation Center. Murrells Inlet Precincts 2 and 3 went to the fire department’s headquarters. Only three had done so by midday.

Skip Van Bloem, the poll manager at the recreation center, said the turnout was decent for a special election in July.

“We’re happy with the flow we’re getting because it shows that people are interested in the election,” he said.

Each coming from five generations of educators before them and as retired educators themselves, James and Susan Graves of Pawleys Island said they felt it was important to have an opinion on who should be on the school board.

“Education’s important. It has been all our lives and still is and always will be for our children and grandchildren,” James said, who substitute teaches and helps coach softball at Waccamaw High School. “It’s always fun being around the kids, and kids are No. 1.”

Stella Mercado, the County Council member for District 6, said her philosophy is that “if you’re going to complain, you better vote” as she left the Waccamaw Recreation Center after casting a vote. She had endorsed Ownbey the day before.

“Jarrod is married to a teacher. He’s got two kids in school, which I think is so credible for someone that’s on school board. He’s in a younger demographic, which I also think is really imporant,” Mercado said. “He’s got everything, so that’s why.”

County Council is required by law to redraw its election districts after every federal census. The current map was approved in February 2022.

“There’s a lot of folks that are showing up that really aren’t in the district so they’re not eligible to vote, but they’ve been very patient understanding that,” Van Bloem said.

Over a dozen people showed up to the Murrells Inlet polling location, but a majority of them were not eligible to vote in District 6.

“There seems to be some confusion on who is actually voting in this and who’s not,” said Denver Gordon, the inlet’s poll manager.

“It’s very confusing because I’m confused myself,” Sue Rogers, the inlet’s poll clerk, added.

George Kliment of Murrells Inlet stopped by around noon on Election Day but not to cast a vote. He came to ask about smoke detectors.

“I had no idea this was even going on,” he said. “The only reason I was turned down is because I live north of this district.”