Statement from Mark Lazarus

July 12, 2022

I am disappointed the executive committee of the Horry County Republican Party refused to
hear an election protest based on the absentee ballot mishap that was reported by the county
election office just days before the runoff election.

The unexplained snafu caused 1,377 Democrat ballots to be mailed to Republican absentee
voters. The correct ballots were not mailed until Friday before Election Day on Tuesday. We did
not learn until results were posted Election Day that only 140 ballots were received and
counted by deadline.

The county council chairman’s race was decided by 260 votes, so there was solid reason to
believe the outcome could have been affected by this blunder and it was my intention to make
sure the error was addressed, and those votes counted.

I appealed to the Horry County Voter Registration and Elections Board on Thursday after the
election to delay certification until all the absentee ballots received late were counted, because
adequate time was not given for postal delivery.

But the law does not make allowances for mistakes of this magnitude. The ballots could not be
opened or counted, nor could the voter list be cross-referenced to determine how many voters
were still able to get to the polls despite having requested absentee ballots.

The board said there was no process to determine how many voters were disenfranchised or to
correct the problem. They said my only recourse was to appeal to the Republican Party’s
executive committee.

However, the party has refused to even hear the case or evidence because the appeal was filed
on the morning on July 5, instead of the filing deadline that this year fell on the 4th of July
federal holiday.
This despite the fact the South Carolina Republican Party agreed to hear an appeal from Brian
Sweeney regarding the outcome of the SC House District 106 seat in Horry County, which he
also filed on July 5 after the deadline.

The absentee ballot mishap posed serious election integrity questions that should have been
heard by the Horry County Republican Party’s executive committee at the hearing they called
on Thursday, when both sides were present with lawyers to advise them, the county elections
official was subpoenaed and present with her attorney, and a court reporter was in the room to
record the proceedings.

Before opening statements could be heard, the GOP executive committee sided with Horry
County Council Chairman Johnny Gardner and dismissed the hearing, denying voters the
explanation they deserve as to how Democrat ballots were sent to Republican voters.

Of the estimated 85 members of the party’s executive committee that represent precincts
across the county, about half showed up and the vote was 40 to 5 with two abstentions.

This was the proper venue for a fair hearing on the mishandling of absentee ballots that cost
voters their vote, not sometime down the road after the election outcome is no longer on the
line.

As I stated previously, my protest was not just about who won, but to find out what went
wrong and make sure election mistakes do not keep occurring in Horry County.

President Trump warned us about election integrity, but the executive committee of the Horry
County Republican Party turned a blind eye and decided it doesn’t count when their candidate
wins.

Unfortunately, appealing the county party’s decision to the South Carolina Republican Party
won’t give Horry County voters the answers they deserve as to what went wrong in their
election and does not help determine whether anyone who voted by absentee in the runoff
election actually had their vote counted or a remedy to count their votes.

Therefore, I accept the certification of this election by the county elections board and recognize
there is no recourse to count the votes, so no further appeal will be pursed.

Thank you to my family who supported and stood with me throughout this entire campaign,
and my thanks also to the legion of residents who supported me with their votes, their time,
and financial support. Your belief in me will never be forgotten.

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