Some 199 votes pushed Democrat A. T. “Hammy’ Moak to victory over Republican O’Neil Burton to fill a vacant seat on the Kershaw County Council in a special election.

Moak, who was first victorious in a five-man Democratic primary, outpolled Burton with a vote of 1,452, or some 54 percent, to Burton’s 1, 253, or 46 percent of the vote.

“Anytime a Republican runs in this county it’s an uphill battle.” Burton said. “The voter turnout was less than I though I needed to overturn the results. I needed a bigger show in town.”

With an impressive 312 votes in his home precinct of Elgin. Moak outpolled Burton there, the loser receiving only 16 votes.

The low voter turnout had been predicted by Bobby Jones, Kershaw County Democratic Party chairman, whose estimate of 2,800 votes was only 95 votes off.

“It is really hard to get people out in this kind of situation.” Moak said, “You almost have to get your friends out.”