Latest Five Votes Separate Whitmire Town Council Hopefuls
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NEWBERRY, SC · MIDLANDS EDITION · THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 5, 2026
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Five Votes Separate Whitmire Town Council Hopefuls

Published November 5, 2026 at 5:22 am | By Josiah W. Fernandes, Staff Reporter

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WHITMIRE, S.C. — The final seat on Whitmire Town Council is still up in the air after Tuesday’s vote, with the two candidates for it separated by just five ballots.

Will Raines finished with 112 votes and Jacob Whisenant had 107 in the race for the third open seat. All of the council seats were at-large, so every voter in town could weigh in on each one.

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Two other seats are settled. Top vote-getter Maria Shields Dickerson won one with 208, while Jimmy D. Brock claimed another on 201 ballots.

A recount looks likely. State law requires a second count whenever a race is decided by no more than 1% of all ballots in the contest. Raines drew 11.63% of the vote and Whisenant 11.11%, leaving the margin inside that line.

The results remain unofficial until they are certified, and a recount would decide who joins Dickerson and Brock on the council in the Newberry County town.

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Section: More Newberry SC politics news

Filed under: Newberry SC Politics News

Josiah W. Fernandes
HERE Newberry · POLITICS

Josiah is a staff reporter for HERE Newberry covering local news, community stories, and developments across Newberry County. Josiah is committed to accurate, community-first journalism.

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