See Ed Carter's 2000 "Political Courage" test on another page of this site, and see his newer 2012 version on the questioning organization's site.

Read about Carter's campaign website, which was designed by a company that also does soft porn sites. 

Dr. David Rison has been an active member of the Dorchester County Democratic Party for many years, as his record of party chair and state executive councilman shows.

And now he has two more accolades, which he received in just the last two days, to add to his record.

On Tuesday, Rison was named the official party elector for South Carolina’s 1st Congressional District.

Yesterday, he became the alternate National Delegate for the 1st District, too, and later this year will attend the Democratic National Convention in Charlotte.

“It was certainly a surprise,” Rison says. “I am looking forward to going (to the convention).”

The title of “elector” means that Rison will get to cast one of the nine official electoral votes afforded to South Carolina, pending on if Pres. Obama wins the state in the November General Election.

At the July 31 executive committee meeting of the state Democratic Party, he was nominated by North Charleston’s Nancy Seufert, and won the role uncontested by acclamation.

Both Seufert and Rison are Dorchester County representatives to the state party.

The very next day after winning the title of elector, Rison was notified by the state party that he was to assume the role of alternate National Delegate.

At the state convention in May, Rison placed fourth in eligibility in the election for the 1st Congressional District’s national delegate. The top two in the race were named delegates, with the third (Charleston County Councilman Vic Rawl) taking the role of alternate delegate.

Another national delegate in the state (Newberry’s Jim Lander in the 5th Congressional District) recently stepped down, however. When Rawl moved up to assume Lander’s position, so too did Rison, taking Rawl’s alternate delegate spot.

This won’t be Rison’s first Democratic National Convention, though. He attended the 1996 convention as an alternate, and in 2000 was elected to be Al Gore’s national delegate from the 1st Congressional District.

Currently serving as Dorchester County’s representative to the state party’s executive committee, Rison was also county party chair from 1988 to 1994.

Now professor emeritus, in 2006 Rison retired from his position as chair of Charleston Southern University’s History and Political Science department.

Ed Carter won Republican Party nomination for State House Dist. 97 in Tuesday’s primary, according to election results.

But Richard Hayes, chair of Dorchester County’s Democratic Party, suspects Carter is ineligible to continue his candidacy due to blatant errors in campaign filing records.

Hayes now formally challenges Carrol Duncan, chair of the county GOP, to produce the paper records of Carter’s Statement of Economic Interests (SEI) to validate his candidacy.

“Carter filed his SEI online before the candidate filing period actually began,” Hayes says. “Duncan let the county election commission think she got a paper copy of his SEI during the actual filing period, though.”

Hayes requests that Duncan provide him and/or local media with copies of Carter’s SEI and Statement of Intention of Candidacy.

According to records of the state Ethics Commission, Carter filed his SEI for this year’s campaign on March 13. (See image below.) Filing didn’t begin until two days later, however.

A candidate's SEI was to be filed online with the state Ethics Commission; a paper copy of that same SEI, complete with date and time stamp, could then be printed from Ethics' website immediately in following. That printed copy was then to be submitted simultaneously with other paperwork to a county’s party chair. (See sample in right column.)

“If Duncan and Carter did this correctly, then they have the paperwork,” says Hayes. “And since there’s already questionability found in the public records of his filing, then either Duncan needs to put up or Carter needs to pull out.”

Section 8-13-1356 of South Carolina’s Code of Law states: “A candidate must file a statement of economic interests for the preceding calendar year at the same time and with the same official with whom the candidate files a declaration of candidacy or petition for nomination.”

The Code’s Section 7-11-15 requires that such candidate registration occur “between noon on March sixteenth and noon on March thirtieth,” however. 

As a result, Hayes asserts, the documentation of his March 13 filing could indicate Carter is ineligible to continue his campaign.

Two recent state Supreme Court decisions support Hayes’ claims, as well.

In its May 1 case, the court ruled: “We grant declaratory relief as follows: (1) that individuals not exempt who are seeking nomination by political party primary to be a candidate for office must file a Statement of Economic Interest (SEI) at the same time and with the same official with whom the individuals file a Statement of Intention of Candidacy (SIC); (2) that an official authorized to receive SICs may not accept the forms unless they are accompanied by an SEI; (3) that an individual who did not file an SEI at the same time and with the same official with whom the individual filed an SIC should not appear on the party primary election ballot or the general election ballot(.)” 

In its June 4 case, the court ruled: “(F)iling a paper copy of an SEI simultaneously with the filing of an SIC is the only method by which a non-exempt individual can comply with § 8-13-1356.”

“How could Carter have filed paper copies of the required documents simultaneously?” Hayes asks. “It’s public record he filed his SEI online two days early, and before any registration could be accepted.

“And since Carter filed it early, then how can Duncan have the dated paper copy of the SEI she’s supposed to have received and retained?"

On June 7 Joshua Dickard, executive director of County Elections and Voter Registration, submitted an email to both county party chairs requesting final validation of all candidates. “Please submit any decertified names to my office by 4:00 p.m. today,” Dickard wrote.

Because all of Dorchester County’s Republican candidates, including Carter, remained on the June 12 ballots, Duncan apparently submitted no listing of decertification, Hayes assumes.

“Since she didn’t decertify any candidates, then that means she’s sworn to have the documentation,” he states.

“So let me say it one more time: either Duncan needs to put up or Carter needs to pull out.”