COUNTYWIDE CANDIDATES
With early voting beginning next Tuesday, May 31st (more on that below), we are highlighting another set of Democratic primary candidates. Tamara Cunningham Curry and Stephanie Ganaway-Pasley are running for Charleston County Probate Judge, and Karen Hollings and Michael Miller are running for Charleston County Register of Deeds.
Tamara Cunningham Curry was raised in Charleston, attended South Carolina State University, and received her Doctor of Jurisprudence from the University of Tennessee College of Law. She has served as the Associate Probate Judge for 22 years. She presides as one of the judges for the Charleston County Adult Drug, Veterans, and Juvenile Drug Courts. Curry assisted in starting the first Mental Health Court in South Carolina in 2002. She has also traveled throughout the trident region to educate citizens on the importance and need to complete wills, powers of attorneys, and health care documents for the future. Additionally, Tamara Curry was the first African American president for the National College of Probate Judges.
The Honorable Stephanie Ganaway-Pasley retired from being a Summary Court Judge after serving on the bench for more than 12 years. A Psychology professor and a Special Education teacher, Ganaway-Pasley earned her bachelor’s degree in psychology from Charleston Southern University and a master’s in Counseling with a concentration in mental health from Webster University. She is on target to earn her doctorate in Psychology from Walden University in the summer of 2022, and is a strong proponent for community engagement. For several months, Ganaway-Pasley has held monthly virtual mental health workshops to reach an audience wanting to learn more about mental health.
Karen Hollings is a solution-oriented professional offering a strong balance between business savvy and creative capabilities with numerous years of experience contributing to advance performance in the Charleston County legal and real estate communities. She has worked for diverse organizations, agencies and businesses in the private and public sectors. With vast experience in real estate and the legal communities, Ms. Hollings’ expertise includes working in the mortgage banking industry, commercial and residential property management, real estate title abstracting, and paralegal positions in the public and private sectors. She has 20+ years of service with Charleston County in the Register of Deeds Office and in the Office of Judge Louis Condon, Master in Equity.
Michael Miller currently serves as the incumbent Register of Deeds. He is a mentor, community advocate, volunteer and former Charleston County School District Trustee. He graduated from Goose Creek High School in 1988 and attended Benedict College in Columbia and Howard University in Washington, DC, where he became a member of their nationally-ranked soccer team. Not long after attending Howard University, he enrolled in Goose Creek Barber and Styling College where he completed his barber training. He became a Master Hair Care Specialist in 1993. Additionally, for the past 20 years, Michael Miller has been giving back to his community with his time and financial resources, especially through efforts to help local students.
EARLY & ABSENTEE VOTING UPDATE
Early voting begins next Tuesday, May 31st! Brush up on the info you need to know here:
As you can read about in this press release from Charleston County, Governor McMaster signed a law that replaces in-person absentee voting with early voting, meaning that any registered voter can vote in-person at the Charleston County Board of Elections & Voter Registration without an excuse between Tuesday, May 31st, and Friday, June 10th. The early voting occurs between 8:30 AM and 5 PM from Monday through Friday during this period. This is a change from the previous law that required an excuse to vote early in person. We HIGHLY encourage everyone to vote early to avoid long lines on Election Day.
Regarding absentee voting by mail, reasons have been limited to the following:
- Voters with disabilities.
- Voters sixty-five years of age or older.
- Members of the Armed Forces and Merchant Marines of the United States, their spouses, and dependents residing with them.
- Voters admitted to hospitals as emergency patients on the day of an election or within a four-day period before the election.
- Voters who, for one of the following reasons, are unable to vote in person on any day of the early-voting period or on Election Day.
- Employment obligations.
- Attending sick or physically disabled persons.
- Confined to a jail or pretrial facility pending disposition of arrest or trial.
- Absent from their county for any reason.
Additionally the absentee applications must be returned by eleven days before the election. As a voter, you can only request up to five additional ballots now and must provide further identification on absentee ballots.
LEAKED SCOTUS DRAFT
Since the bombshell leak a few weeks ago it has become clear that SCOTUS is likely to overturn Roe v. Wade this summer. This is, essentially, an attack on settled law, legislation that has been the law of the land for a half century.
The importance of this decision cannot be overstated. Should Roe be officially overturned, abortion bans in nearly half the states in America will become law. States where laws made no exceptions for rape, incest or even endangering the life of the mother. States that have given rapists parental rights.
Should Roe be overturned, abortion will no longer be legal in America, only in certain states. And several of the anti-abortion laws have built in clauses to prohibit pregnant women from traveling out of state. Think about that. Women who live in Republican held states will have less rights as a citizen than women who live in Democratic states. Recently in Texas, a woman narrowly escaped a murder charge because she ended a pregnancy. Is this the world we want to live in?
Armed with the knowledge of the battle we are about to face, we beg of you, please, to continue calling and writing your legislators. ALL of your legislators (but especially those at the federal level). Get loud and demand they protect women’s rights in this country. And remember, they will not stop with abortion. If settled law is up for grabs, every hard fought right we have earned can be taken away. Voting rights, LGBT rights, interracial marriage, birth control, and even fertility treatments… All up for grabs if we don’t stop this madness in its tracks.
FIND LEGISLATORS’ CONTACT INFO
SIGN PLEDGE TO PROTECT CHARLESTON WOMEN’S RIGHTS
MEMBERS OF THE NEWSLETTER TEAM NEEDED
The saying goes that “all good things must come to an end,” and my tenure leading this newsletter is no exception. In June, I will be moving away from Charleston, which means that CCDP is need of new people to help run the newsletter! If you are interested, please reply to this email or send an email to zach@charlestondemocrats.com! I will show the new team the ropes, so do not worry about being thrown in blindly. I look forward to the future leadership of this newsletter!
HELP SUPPORT CCDP
Supporters like you allow us to keep the CCDP office open, train and support candidates and fund events in the Lowcountry. Please consider donating so that we can continue these efforts. With the 2022 election just months away, it is more important than ever to make sure we have the resources we need to succeed!
DONATE TO SUPPORT CCDP AND ELECT DEMOCRATS
Upcoming Events
| SAT MAY28 11 AM | Phone Banking Training Our activism is heating up! Soon we will be calling voters to get out the vote! Please join us for a quick training on the Votebuilder phone banking software that allows you to call voters from anywhere, any time! RSVP Here (Location shared upon RSVP) |
2022 Candidate Information
2022 CHARLESTON COUNTY DEMOCRATIC CANDIDATES
State Level Offices:
Governor:
Carlton Boyd
Joe Cunningham (Website; Instagram; Facebook; Twitter; Donations)
Mia McLeod (Website; Instagram; Facebook; Twitter; Donations)
Calvin CJ Mack McMillan (Website)
William H Cowboy Williams (Website; Donations)
U.S. Senate:
Catherine Fleming Bruce (Website; Instagram; Facebook; Twitter; Donations)
Angela Geter (Website; Instagram; Facebook; Twitter; Donations)
Krystle Matthews (Website; Instagram; Facebook; Twitter; Donations)
Secretary of State: Peggy Butler (Website; Donations)(NOMINEE)
State Superintendent of Education:
Dr. Gary Burgess (Website; Instagram; Facebook; Twitter; Donations)
Lisa Ellis (Website; Instagram; Twitter; Donations)
Jerry Govan (Website; Facebook; Donations)
United States Congress:
SC-1: Dr. Annie Andrews (Website; Instagram; Facebook; Twitter; Donations)(NOMINEE)
SC-6:
Michael Addison (Website; Facebook; Donations)
Gregg Marcel Dixon (Website; Facebook; Twitter; Donations)
Majority Whip James “Jim” E. Clyburn (Website; Instagram; Facebook; Twitter; Donations)
South Carolina State House
15: Representative JA Moore (Website; Facebook; Twitter; Donations)(NOMINEE)
80: Donna Brown Newton (Website; Facebook; Twitter; Donations)(NOMINEE)
109: Representative Deon Tedder (Website, Facebook, Twitter)(NOMINEE)
110: Ellis Roberts (Website; Instagram; Facebook; Twitter; Donations)(NOMINEE)
111: Representative Wendell Gilliard (Facebook)(NOMINEE)
112:
Dave Artushin (Website; Instagram; Facebook; Twitter; Donations)
Stephen Hilton (Website; Twitter; Donations)
113: Representative Marvin Pendarvis (NOMINEE)
114: Michelle Brandt (Website; Instagram; Facebook; Twitter; Donations)(NOMINEE)
115: Representative Spencer Wetmore (Website; Instagram; Facebook; Twitter; Donations)(NOMINEE)
116: Representative Chardale Murray (Website; Instagram; Facebook; Twitter; Donations)(NOMINEE)
119: Representative Leon Stavrinakis (Website; Facebook; Twitter)(NOMINEE)
Charleston County Council:
5: Councilman Teddie Pryor (Facebook)(NOMINEE)
8:
Councilwoman Anna Johnson (Website; Facebook; Donations)
Ronald L. Ladson (Website; Instagram; Facebook; Twitter; Donations)
Millicent TraeyeMiddleton (Website; Instagram; Facebook; Twitter; Donations)
9: Dylan Tullberg (NOMINEE)
Charleston County Probate Judge:
Tamara Cunningham Curry (Website; Instagram; Facebook; Twitter; Donations)
Stephanie Ganaway-Pasley (Website; Facebook)
Charleston County Register of Deeds:
Karen Hollings (Website; Donations)
Michael Miller (Website; Instagram; Facebook; Donations)
Give Back
Blessing Box Donations Needed!
Please consider donating to our CCDP Blessing Box. You can #StockTheBox at any time, or drop off items to the office during office hours or by appointment. Our community members appreciate and depend on our kindness!
A few things to remember when donating Blessing Box items:
- DO donate non-perishable items that will hold up in the weather
- example: canned vegetables and meats/fish, sauces in jars, boxes of rice or pasta
- protip: donate items that don’t require milk/butter/oil to prepare, get cans with pop-tops that don’t require can openers
- DO donate small personal care items that will fit in the blessing box
- example toothbrush, toothpaste, deodorant,
- DO NOT donate any open or expired items.
Lowcountry Period Project Supplies Needed!
Did you know that our volunteers build period packs in support of the Homeless Period Project? The project provides pre-made kits for homeless shelters and nurse’s offices at Title IX schools in the Lowcountry. These items are a luxury to homeless women and girls and many are forced to choose between hygiene and food. Please consider donating the following items so we can continue to support this amazing project!
-individually-wrapped feminine pads
-individually-wrapped tampons
-individually-wrapped wipes
-individually-wrapped panty liners
Thanks again for your generosity!
Our office has limited public hours due to COVID, but if you are dropping off donations, you can email wecare@charlestondemocrats.com to arrange a drop off time.
Contribute
BUY SOME MERCHANDISE TO SUPPORT CCDP!
Please support CCDP (and help elect Democrats) by buying one of our t-shirts, water bottles, Koozies, bags, and pint glasses!
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