Voter Alert: Republican Gubernatorial Candidate Decertified; Name Will Still Appear on June 9 Ballot
May 12, 2026
South Carolina voters heading to the polls for the June 9 Republican primary should be aware that one candidate for governor has been decertified and any votes cast for her will not count, even though her name will remain on the ballot.
Jacqueline Hicks DuBose, one of seven Republicans who had been seeking the party’s nomination for governor, was officially decertified on May 4 after failing to pay the required $4,243.12 filing fee. The state Republican Party gave her several weeks to submit payment, but the fee remained unpaid.
Because ballots had already been printed and distributed to overseas and military voters, removing her name was no longer possible. The state Republican Party said it is coordinating with county elections offices to make sure voters are notified on election day, through signage or verbal communication at polling locations, that any vote cast for DuBose will not be counted. Party Executive Director Leighton Gray Smith said the party will take all reasonable steps to inform voters of the decertification.
The six remaining certified Republican candidates for governor on the June 9 ballot are Lt. Gov. Pamela Evette, Attorney General Alan Wilson, U.S. Rep. Nancy Mace, U.S. Rep. Ralph Norman, state Sen. Josh Kimbrell, and Isle of Palms businessman Rom Reddy, founder of the limited-government advocacy group DOGE SC.
If no candidate receives more than 50 percent of the vote, a runoff election is scheduled for June 23.
The June 9 primary also includes races for lieutenant governor, attorney general, secretary of state, and other statewide offices, as well as state legislative and local contests that will vary by county. Voters can view their personalized sample ballot, confirm their polling place, and check their registration at scVOTES.gov (https://www.scvotes.gov/) using the MyscVOTES tool. Early voting runs Tuesday, May 26, through Friday, June 5. Polls are open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Election Day, and voters are required to bring a photo ID.
