Come Try Out Ranked Choice Voting with 50501SC!
Take these fun little polls with our organizers & volunteers to see who they're supporting, and try out Ranked Choice Voting for yourself!
The 2026 Primaries in South Carolina are some of the most consequential for our state in recent memory, and everyone should make a plan to show up, vote early, and have their voices heard!
While 50501SC does not endorse candidates, we thought it would be fun to take a little poll among our organizers and share some of their insights, while giving y’all a chance to try out Ranked Choice Voting, also known as Instant Runoff Voting.
Head over to our friends at Better Ballot SC to learn more about RCV, but the quick version is: rather than choosing just one candidate, you rank your choices, and the race is decided using those rankings in multiple rounds where candidates failing to reach the top spots are eliminated, and the folks who voted for them now get counted for their next ranked choice, and so on, until you have a clear winner. It gives third parties and longshot candidates a fair chance, gives voters the opportunity to cast their ballot for candidates they really believe in without worrying it is “throwing away their vote,” and it saves local governments and states millions because they don’t have to run separate runoff elections.
(It’ll make more sense when you get to try it out. Scroll to the bottom when you’re ready!)
Our organizers had the chance to participate in both the Republican and Democratic Primary races for Governor and Senate in this poll, as 50501SC is a big tent and includes the full spectrum: anti-Trump Republicans, Democrats, Independents, and folks who identify with third parties, on both the right and the left.
Check out our organizers’ picks below, and then cast your own ballot in he polls linked below to see how Ranked Choice Voting works!
Democratic Primary - Governor
As you can see in our results, the 50501SC organizers are pretty overwhelmingly for Dr. Jermaine Johnson. We didn’t even get to watch the instant runoff animation because all of the votes were for him 🤣
What our organizers are saying:
“Dr. Jermaine Johnson- a true statesman, speaks from the heart, and a fighter for the people. The other candidates come off as old money clout chasers.”
“I met Jermaine when he participated in the No Kings rallies, and he is genuinely a good guy, smart, thorough, and has the courage to stand up for South Carolina.”
“Dr. Jermaine Johnson’s life experience, and political experience, make him the perfect candidate for our state. He works well on both sides of the aisle, as a current state representative. When he speaks, you see, and feel, the passion he has for his family, his work, and the state of South Carolina. HE IS THE MAN FOR ALL!!”
“Dr. Johnson has been doing the work. Even when the SCDP tried to push him out, he stood up for us. Voting for anyone else is voting for the same old shit.”
“Billy Webster wants us to think he is an ‘ethical’ payday loan millionaire HAHAHAHAHA. No. You don’t make that much money off payday loans without exploiting poor people. Nothing I’ve heard from him in this campaign has made up for that in the slightest.”
Republican Primary - Governor
To be honest, no one likes any of these candidates, so most chose to vote for who they thought would be easiest to beat in the general election, if they voted in this one at all.
What our organizers are saying:
“I don’t like any of them, but Nancy Mace is too busy creating photo ops to do as much damage as someone who actually knows what they’re doing in government.”
“Pamela Evette- she doesn’t know how many members are in the SC house of reps and thinks republican gerrymandered maps are the result of radical left social engineering.”
“This is such a pathetic field. They’d all sell out SC in a heartbeat for a chance at head pats from their big orange daddy.”
Democratic Primary - Senate
Many of our organizers have met the candidates at rallies over the past year, and were thrilled to have a choice of several good candidates.
What our organizers are saying:
“Kyle is the kind of leader we need, he’s sworn off corporate tax money, and will work for the people not their bosses.”
“Kyle Freeman has shown he isn’t afraid to speak up about the shenanigans in the SCDP. The Democratic Party has pushed out progressives for far too long, bowing down to the same corporate donors as the Republicans while wringing their hands but doing nothing, and we’re tired of this controlled opposition bullshit. He would be a great progressive voice for all the people of South Carolina and the US, not just his donors.”
“Kyle Freeman- at the rate South Carolina changes senators, we’re gonna need a young man to take up the commitment.”
“Brandon Brown is endorsed by so many true fighters for SC, including my old Mayor and State Senator, Floyd Nicholson. I think we need Brandon’s voice in the senate. He has the charisma to win in the general and get voters excited to turn out, and he has solid plans ready to help people.”
“Women make up half our population but are severely underrepresented in our government, and Annie Andrews would be a huge improvement over Lindsey Graham.”
Republican Primary - Senate
The prevailing sentiment is that anyone is better than Lindsey, but our organizers were pleasantly surprised to find a non-MAGA candidate to vote for in this one.
What our organizers are saying:
“I was actually shocked to find out that there is a candidate in the Republican primary for Senate who cares about Gaza, came to one of our rallies, and is against the redistricting, so whatever Darius Mitchell’s other positions, he’d get my vote over all the others.”
“Darius Mitchell- never heard of him. Gotta be better than Lindsay.”
Ready to try it out yourself?
Rank your choices and see for yourself how the instant runoff process works!
Senate - Republican Primary (see results here)
Senate - Democratic Primary (see results here)
Governor - Republican Primary (see results here)
Governor - Democratic Primary (see results here)
And don’t forget to vote early!
The more people who vote in the primaries Tuesday before they can pass the redistricting bill, the greater chance we have of shaming them into stopping it!
Don't forget to find your early voting location—you are almost certainly not voting where you normally vote! Check it here: https://scvotes.gov/voters/early-voting/
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