District 55 Seat 6 race heads to Nov. 17 runoff as write-in votes keep both candidates short of majority
November 7, 2026
Voters in parts of seven Laurens County precincts will return to the polls Tuesday, Nov. 17, to choose between Nick Babb and Lee McDaniel for Seat 6 on the Laurens County School District 55 Board of Trustees.
Babb finished the Nov. 3 general election with 694 votes to McDaniel’s 673. Write-in candidates received 22 votes. Of the 1,389 ballots cast in the race, Babb’s total was 49.96 percent, one vote short of the majority required to win the seat outright. Provisional ballots reviewed during certification did not change the outcome, which sent the race to a runoff.
The seat is open because longtime board member Peggy Nance is stepping away.
Lynne West, director of the Laurens County Board of Voter Registration and Elections, said the 22 write-in votes kept either candidate from reaching a majority. Her office has not yet reviewed the names written in. Staff are finishing the audit and certification of the general election while also getting ready for the runoff.
“Our team has been hard at work auditing and certifying this election, and now our focus turns to the runoff,” West said.
Cost to the district
West estimated the runoff will cost the district $13,000 to $15,000.
“We don’t have a final number yet, but with seven precincts involved, we will staff the runoff as efficiently as we can,” West said.
Plurality debate
The runoff renews a question West has raised for years: whether school board elections should be decided by plurality, with the top vote-getter winning, instead of requiring a majority. West has long supported the change. She noted that most municipalities in the county have already passed ordinances moving their own elections to plurality.
Under the current rules, a school board candidate must win more than 50 percent of all votes cast in the race, write-ins included.
How to vote
The runoff covers parts of seven precincts: Owings, Gray Court, Barksdale Narnie, Trinity Ridge, Laurens Four, Laurens Five and Maddens. Some of these precincts are split, so only voters who live in both one of these precincts and District 55 Seat 6 may vote. Eligible voters will cast ballots at their usual polling places, open 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Nov. 17.
Early voting will be held from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Nov. 12 and 13 at the Laurens County Voter Registration and Elections Office, 105 Bolt Drive, Suite B, in Laurens.
West said her office hopes to mail absentee ballots Monday, Nov. 9.
Voters who are unsure whether they live in Seat 6 can check their sample ballot at scVOTES.gov or contact the Laurens County Voter Registration and Elections Office at 105 Bolt Drive in Laurens or 864-984-4431.
