Election results: Early votes split on Lancaster County new road tax, favor York Pennies
Lancaster County's new transportation tax appears to be splitting early voters, while York County's Pennies for Progress has strong support.
Nearly 52% of the votes were against the new Lancaster County road tax, as of 8:30 p.m. That's with almost 30% of precincts reporting.
It's a one-cent sales tax, but could last up to 15 years. It's expected to generate $405 million.
Pennies for Progress is a one-cent sales tax to fund road work in York County. It's at almost 72% support in early votes. No full precincts have reported.
It began in 1997 as the first of its kind in the state. Now dozens of counties have similar sales tax programs. Campaigns run seven years in York County. Tuesday's vote was the fifth Pennies referendum, to continue the tax when the 2017 program expires next spring.
The record $410.7 million campaign Tuesday included $225 million for projects that appeared on prior referendum ballots. They weren't completed due to soaring projects costs from post-COVID inflation, Pennies manager Patrick Hamilton said prior to Election Day.
Some of the biggest road jobs that hinged on Tuesday's vote are five-lane widening of U.S. 21 from S.C. 160 to Carowinds Boulevard in Fort Mill, and of Fort Mill Parkway near Interstate 77.
The most expensive new project on the ballot was a $44.9 million widening of U.S. 21 from S.C. 160 to Sutton Road.
Since the first Pennies vote narrowly passed in 1997 with 51% support, no campaign got less than 73% approval coming into Tuesday's election. York County voters cast more than 61,000 votes combined in the prior four programs, with 70% of those votes opting for the sales tax.
Tuesday's campaign was, however, the first Pennies vote held in a presidential election or an even year.
Lancaster County transportation tax
Unlike Pennies, the Lancaster County transportation tax on Tuesday's ballot was a first-time effort.
The county asked voters for the transportation tax largely as a way to create a funding source for improvements on U.S. 21, or Charlotte Highway. A list of road jobs the county expects to complete is heavy with road widening, especially in Indian Land. It puts $165 million to major road widening like U.S. 521.
A second question asked voters whether the county could borrow up to $250 million against the tax to get the road jobs started quicker. The tax would pay back bond money issued by the county in a deal that would front money to road jobs before its collected through the sales tax.
That second question was, of course, dependent on the transportation tax passing.
The more than 105,000 early and absentee votes is 53% of the registered voters in York County. Lancaster County had more than 38,000 pre-election day votes, 54% of its registered voters.
