NOTE: Earl Moore, Chester Board of Elections Executive Director did not quote me correctly- my statement to WSOC. My exact statement was as follows:
“The South Carolina Supreme Court has ruled on this issue. Chester County should now follow the direction given by the court and move forward by administering a fair election”

Drew Johnson, County Chairman

http://www.onlinechester.com/ content/ moore-responds-gop-poll-worker- letter-issue

Chester County Elections and Registration Director Earl Moore defended a letter sent to Chester County GOP Presidential Primary poll workers. In that letter dated Jan. 13, 2012, Moore wrote:

“Dear Valued Citizen,

I would like to thank you for your contribution to this great county, state and country. It is truly a pleasure to work with such dedicated and true professionals. We have improved our test scores, therefore we have improved our knowledge on the laws and procedures concerning elections. Our average test score on poll manager training averages around 90%. This is exceptional and I would like to congratulate you on your success. Due to financial constraints the county is not supplementing poll workers pay because this is an election that the county has no stakes in. You will be paid at the rate of $60.00 per day for this election. We will return to our regular pay schedule in all future elections as deemed proper. We ask that you be at the poll no later than 6:30 a.m.”

Chester County Republican Chair Drew Johnson said he fielded numerous calls from local residents regarding this letter. The wording in the sentence about the county having “no stakes” in this election lead citizens to ask questions, he said

“It gave a lot of Republicans across the county the impression that the county was not behind the primary,” Johnson said. “The election itself was run perfectly fine, I don’t have a concern with that but perception is reality. An election commission doesn’t need to be partisan in any way.”
Without the wording of that one particular sentence “the letter would have read fine,” Johnson said.

Moore said he stands behind what was written in the letter.

“The Republican Party has stated on the record that they would not reimburse the counties for any election expenses,” he said. “Local Republican Chair Drew Johnson stated on WSOC-TV that the counties lost the suit and let them find the money to pay for it.”

In October 2011, Chester County joined a lawsuit filed against the State Elections Commissions. At issue was the cost of staging the Republican Presidential Preference Primary. The counties contended that the money given to them by the commission and the state Republican Party did not fully cover all costs associated with holding the primary. A State Supreme Court decision in December rejected the counties’ claim. Johnson said the money paid to poll workers during the primary was of no particular concern.

“We have no concern with the rate of pay,” he said. “The counties determine that.”
Moore explained why poll workers were paid $60 during the primary when the pay scale is $75 for all other Chester County elections.

“The State Election Commission has agreed to reimburse the counties at a rate of $60 per poll worker. This is what Chester County paid,” Moore said. “The S.C. Legislature passed a bill to allow counties to take cost-saving measures.”

Despite the controversy over Moore’s letter, both he and Johnson agree the election itself was a success in Chester County.

“The election went fine,” Moore said. “It was a 14 percent increase over the previous election in 2008. I’d like to thank all of the voters of Chester County for participating. It was a great election.”