A black candidate for sheriff in Charleston County wo n’t be allowed to appear on the ballot, according to the South Carolina Democrat Party.
According to WCBD News 2, South Carolina Democrat Party (SCDP ) Chair Christale Spain argued in a letter from March 5 to the chairman of the Charleston County Board of Voter Registration and Elections that she would not be confirming Alan Ali, an African American and former police lieutenant with the Charleston County Sheriff’s Office, as a candidate for judge.
According to Spain’s speech,” I am not confirming Alan Ali for the primary election on June 11, 2024, contrary to South Carolina Democratic Party Rule 11,” noting that the individuals” aid and allegiance to the Democratic Party and the Party’s beliefs” were in dispute.
According to Rule 11 of the South Carolina Democratic Party,” the South Carolina Democratic Party Chairman in conversation with the SCDP Executive Council reserves the right to reject a member who has filed for a Democrat Party primary vote” and is either currently serving or has previously served as an officer or formal in another political group.” Additionally, the SCDP president has the right to refuse to endorse a prospect who “has demonstrated intention to persuade voters and gathering officials regarding that candidate’s support and allegiance to the Democratic Party and the Party’s values.”
Candidates running for office must also reside in the district where they intend to run for office, according to South Carolina law. Candidates running for sheriff in South Carolina must also reside in the county for at least a year, per state law. Alibi reportedly registered to vote in Charleston County on October 20, 2023.
Mr. Ali stated in a statement that he was considering running for sheriff as a Republican in Dorchester County where he owned his home, which raised a red flag for me. ” It said to me that Mr. Ali was party shopping”.
Ali, the son of parents who were originally from the Caribbean Island of Montserrat,  , announced in Dec. 2023 that he would be throwing his hat into the race for Charleston County Sheriff. According to his website, Ali has more than 30 years of experience serving in law enforcement, beginning with the Dallas Police Department in 1991. He is also a former patrol lieutenant.
In 1997, after moving to Charleston, Ali joined the City of Charleston Police Department. He joined the Charleston County Sheriff’s Office a year later, where he previously worked on a uniformed patrol division team and later a member of the Charleston County Sheriff’s Office SWAT team.
” I think it’s just hearing the personal stories of people in and around the community, in Edisto Island and McClellanville and around Hollywood, and just hearing these personal stories over and over again, that people are looking for fundamental change,” Ali said in a statement at the time.
Kristin Graziano, who was elected Charleston County Sheriff in November 2020, is running against Ali. Graziano is , reportedly the first woman and openly LGBTQ person to be elected to a sheriff’s position in South Carolina.
