70% of SC State House Reps are unchallenged

I found out today that besides myself there are two other candidates for SC House District 47.  I’m really glad to see that there are more than two offerings for our district.  Even though I am running as a write-in candidate, I’m glad to see the civic involvement and competition for the seat.

As I reviewed some of the other SC House seats, 86 out of 124 seats are uncontested (at least uncontested by anyone running under the banner of one political party or another).  Is it just me or is that just sad?  70% of our “elected” officials are not even being challenged, and this is a quick, personal glance at only the SC State House of Representatives.

I really think that part of the problem is the party system.  I believe that more people would be engaged in the process if they didn’t feel as though they had to be labeled.  I think that is why my number one priority would be to open up the primary system and remove the labels.  This would encourage voters to review records, assess individual platforms, hold politicians accountable, and maybe become involved themselves.