by WILL FOLKS
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A last-minute, closed-door ballot certification meeting by Richland County, South Carolina election officials has forced a controversial recount in the race for the Palmetto State’s second congressional district – which was narrowly won on Tuesday evening (November 3, 2026) by veteran congressman Joe Wilson.
Wilson’s original margin of victory over Democrat Zyon Khalifa was initially reported as 1.03% – but it narrowed to 1.01% following an initial tally of provisional ballots cast in the five counties that either completely or partially reside within the second district.
That initial tally was completed on Friday (November 6, 2026).
Under the S.C. code of laws (§ 7-17-280), a recount is triggered in the event one candidate’s margin of victory is one percent or less of the total votes cast for that office. Richland County – which is ruled by Democrats – was the final county to provide its certified results to the S.C. Election Commission (SCVotes) on Friday, but those numbers were not submitted in a way that instills much faith in the integrity of the electoral process.
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Shortly after confirming the 1.01% margin with state officials – who subsequently informed FITSNews there would be “no recount” in the race – local election officials went behind closed doors at around 5:00 p.m. EST.
When they reemerged from this secret meeting, the calculus – and the color used to designate their ostensibly “certified” results – had changed.
“Their light had turned orange,” a source familiar with the process told FITSNews, referring to the color used by state officials to designate county-certified results.
Orange differs from green, which is the color (or “light”) used by state officials to display results that have been completely reported – but have yet to be certified by local election officials. On election night, yellow numbers (which represent partially reported county-level votes) turn green as counties complete their counts. Those green numbers subsequently turn orange once the results are certified.
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At approximately 6:21 p.m. EST on Friday – following the closed-door meeting – Richland’s officially “certified” data was uploaded to SCVotes’ website.
According to those results, Wilson received 147,791 votes out of 296,664 ballots cast – or 48.817% of the vote. Khalifa received 144,865 votes – or 48.831% of all ballots cast. The new math resulted in a 2,926 vote spread in favor of the Republican incumbent – or 0.986% of the total (activating the mandatory recount statute).
“I’m concerned,” one Republican operative tracking the certification process told FITSNews. “Before the closed-door meeting, there was no recount – after the meeting, there was a recount. Voters clearly deserve to know what happened in that meeting.”
FITSNews is endeavoring to determine what happened – as it raises serious questions about the integrity of this process moving forward. While it could be an innocent error or a legitimate shift in the margin of the election, Richland County’s history of questionable electoral administration makes it something worth watching.
“This election is not over,” Khalifa said in a statement. “Every vote matters, and every vote deserves to be counted accurately.”
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR…
Will Folks is the founding editor of the news outlet you are currently reading. Prior to founding FITSNews, he served as press secretary to the governor of South Carolina. He lives in the Midlands region of the state with his wife and eight children.
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