Home Care In Lexington, SC

Columbia, S.C. (WACH) — Thousands of South Carolinians headed to the polls Monday as early voting began for the November election, with voters citing a range of issues and a desire to make their voices heard.

Nearly 50,000 people statewide had cast ballots by Monday afternoon, according to state election officials. In Lexington County, more than 2,900 people had voted by that point.

Dozens of voters lined up at the Lexington County Voter Registration Office on the first day of early voting.

“I'm here to exercise my right to vote, not everybody used to have that,” voter Olivia Price said.

Another voter said casting a ballot early was a way to express personal convictions.

“Coming out early is me putting my stamp on what I believe in,” the voter said.

Voters are deciding races for more than 10 state offices, including governor, state treasurer, state Senate and state House of Representatives.

While voters chatted and smiled as they waited in line, they were focused on serious political issues.

Frances Scoggins said immigration and border security were among her concerns.

“I like borders being closed. If you don't love America, then you shouldn't be here,” Scoggins said.

Michael Stewart emphasized the importance of representation in government.

“It's very important that we have an electorate that represents the people,” Stewart said.

Lexington County election officials said they were expecting strong turnout as voters took advantage of the early voting period.

Early voting precincts were scheduled to close at 6 p.m. Monday. Voters who were in line before the deadline could still cast their ballots, provided they had the required identification.

The early voting period gives eligible South Carolina voters an opportunity to cast their ballots before Election Day in November.

As a U.S. Senate candidate, Republican Darline Graham told potential voters and reporters she understands working class South Carolinians’ struggles with rising costs.

Graham says she looks for buy one, get one free deals at the grocery store, and she shopped for new shoes on the clearance rack when she first was appointed to the U.S. Senate.

“I’ve struggled for several years, just like everyone else does, so I’m more about the affordability because I know how it feels to have to work paycheck to paycheck,” Graham told reporters Aug. 10.

How much money Graham’s household made, and paid in federal and tax income tax, was made available to The State newspaper in early October.

Her campaign showed The State five years of Graham’s state and federal tax returns from 2021 to 2025. An identical email request was made to Graham and Democratic challenger Annie Andrews on Sept. 14. Andrews’ tax returns were also sent to The State.

Graham’s household income generally rose most years, according to the forms provided by her campaign. The household reported about $135,000 in adjusted gross income in 2021 and $177,856 in 2025.

Graham had filed jointly with her husband, Larry Nordone, since at least 2021. The couple claim their daughter, who turned 18 in September, as a dependent.

Graham became a U.S. senator after her brother, Lindsey Graham, died suddenly July 11. She was appointed by Gov. Henry McMaster to finish out his term, which ends in January 2027.

Now, Graham is competing for a full, six-year term against Andrews, Libertarian Kasie Whitener and Constitution Party candidate Mark Hackett.

Graham never held elected office before her appointment. She previously led the South Carolina Commission for the Blind, beginning in 2019. When she stepped down from the agency in July, Graham drew a $160,080 salary.

Her salary was raised by the S.C. Agency Head Salary Commission in June from $138,000.

Each year, Graham’s occupation is listed on the tax returns as “state agency head” and Nordone’s as “sales account manager.” A campaign official said Nordone was employed by Birchwood Trading, LLC.

What else do Graham’s tax returns show?

Tax returns can also offer more information about who Graham claimed as a dependent, business profits and how much the family invested in a college fund.

The household received state and federal child tax exemptions every year for one dependent.

They also reported contributions to the S.C. College Investment Program or the S.C. Tuition Prepayment Program.

While questions about the junior senator’s last name were raised ahead of the primary, she is listed as “Darline Graham” on five years of tax returns, without “Nordone.”

From 2023 to 2025, Graham’s husband reported business income on federal tax forms. Nordone’s business income was listed as:

LEXINGTON — A Lexington town official has been named in complaints to the state ethics commission over his ties to a local development.

Lexington Town Councilmember and Mayor Pro-Tem Todd Carnes was named in three complaints filed with the South Carolina Ethics Commission on Sept. 25, according to copies of the complaints shared with The Post and Courier Columbia.

The complaints allege Carnes violated state ethics law during town proceedings over a proposed rezoning and code amendment that impacted a development he is tied to through his day job as a realtor. He has denied the allegations.

The ethics commission could “neither confirm nor deny the existence of a complaint or investigation” matching those shared with The Post and Courier Columbia on Sept. 30, according to a statement from the commission.

What did Carnes do?

The complaints are tied to Carnes’ connection to a proposed commercial development along the 500 Block of Corley Mill Road in Lexington.

A developer requested the town rezone a nearly 7.5-acre property on the road, where an office project is planned. The developer also requested the town exempt the project from requirements to preserve wooded areas along Corley Mill Road.

Carnes had previously argued during a June 15 Town Council work session that the town should allow commercial developers along Corley Mill to remove existing vegetation between their developments and the roadway to make the properties more marketable.

The councilmember said at the meeting he had been “helping a gentleman do some due diligence on a Corley Mill parcel” and had spoken with Jessica Lybrand, the town’s planning and building director, to discuss amending the restrictions at the June 15 meeting.

Carnes argued developers would invest in attractive landscaping on their own property if allowed to cut down existing vegetation and that the existing restrictions protect undesirable growth as well as the roadway’s scenic tree canopy.

“It's extremely limiting on commercial development, because nobody is paying $150 an acre for roadside (property) and then you tell them there’s going to be a bunch of existing stuff between you and the roadside,” Carnes said at the meeting.

Carnes later spoke at an Aug. 26 Lexington Planning Commission meeting where the developer’s request was to be voted on before being reviewed by Town Council, on which he serves.

The applicant for the request is Blake Bochette, Carnes’ son-in-law. Carnes stood alongside Bochette at the Aug. 26 meeting as his son-in-law presented to the Planning Commission.

The councilmember argued the project should be exempt from the scenic corridor requirements because much of the property is already not a naturally wooded area, because of both previous nearby development and a power line right-of-way running through the property.

Carnes did not initially identify himself as a member of Town Council while speaking in favor of the development at the meeting, despite being prompted to do so by a commission member. He also did not disclose his familial relationship with Bochette.

Carnes denied accusations at the meeting that his position would sway the council’s vote on the project.

“I don’t know that this is an appropriate conversation right here, because when it gets to council, council is probably going to give all the weight in the world to what this body recommends, which is what we usually do,” he said at the Aug. 26 meeting. “I’m here in my professional capacity. I’m not here as a councilman.”

Also at the meeting, Planning Commission Vice Chair Jarret Harrelson referenced having a “previous conversation” about the request with Carnes.

“Back to my previous conversation we had, are you okay with adhering to the scenic overlay requirements of the certain species of trees, the size and diameters or whatever, if you had to replace certain ones if needed?” Harrelson asked.

It was not immediately clear if Harrelson was referencing prior discussion about the application during the meeting or a previous conversation with Carnes. The Post and Courier Columbia was unable to reach Harrelson for comment on Sept. 30.

The Planning Commission approved the rezoning request, but opted not to allow the project to be exempt from the preservation requirements. Lexington Town Council agreed with the commission’s vote at a Sept. 8 meeting.

Carnes and fellow councilmember Todd Lyle recused themselves from voting on the proposal, citing their connections to the project. Carnes and Lyle are partners at Todd Realty Partners.

Carnes said at the meeting his son-in-law is a general contractor who has worked with the applicant and he represents the applicant as their realtor. Carnes later confirmed to The Post and Courier Columbia that Bochette is his son-in-law.

Lyle said he had also represented the applicant “several times.”

The proposal will need a second vote of approval from the council to be finalized. The agenda for the next council meeting following the initial vote, expected to be called on Oct. 5, had not been released as of Sept. 30.

What do the complaints say?

The complaints shared with The Post and Courier Columbia allege Carnes violated state ethics law by using his position to influence a government decision impacting a project he has an economic interest in.

The complaints allege Carnes did this by:

The complaints were shared with The Post and Courier Columbia by a self-identified “resident” who claimed to have filed the complaints on Sept. 25. The complainant requested not to be publicly identified.

"I believe elected officials should do the right thing and not use their position to financially benefit themselves or their families,” they said. “It’s disappointing that a citizen has to call this out, especially when the official is also a preacher who I expected to show more integrity.”

The state ethics commission did not confirm it had received the complaints or if it was investigating the allegations on Sept. 30.

Carnes identified the complainant and told The Post and Courier Columbia on Sept. 30 that the individual had “campaigned vigorously against (him) on behalf of a losing candidate in the last two municipal elections.”

“The complaints are baseless, as I publicly recused myself from the items in question, but our system allows any citizen to file a complaint against an elected official regardless of the motive or the merit,” he said in a statement. “I plan to stay focused on the pressing needs of our Town — infrastructure, transportation and quality of life initiatives.”

Carnes has been a member of Town Council since 2014. He most recently won reelection in 2025. His current term expires in November 2029. According to his bio on the town's website, Carnes has also worked as a commercial realtor, engineer, and church leader.

Caleb Bozard covers business and development for The Post and Courier Columbia.