SC Legislative District 1 - Democratic Primary Choose 1
SC State House of Representatives -- The legislative power of the State of South Carolina is vested in a general assembly comprised of two chambers - the senate and the house of representatives. The SC House of Representatives consists of 124 part-time members elected every two years to represent the state's 124 single member districts. As part of the general assembly, the House of Representatives creates and amends laws that govern our state and must create and pass the state budget annually. The general assembly draws district lines for the SC House, SC Senate and US House every 10 years after each census. Representatives must be citizens of the United States and the state of South Carolina, at least twenty-one years old at the time of their election, and residents of the district in which they are elected. All representatives are up for election during the same even year election cycle.NOTE: If a candidate's answers are not visible, the candidate may not have completed the survey prior to our publication date. Updated response will be posted as they are received. Voters are welcome to encourage the candidate to share their views.
Biographical Information
Campaign Phone
864-386-5667
Website
http://www.junilynch.com
Qualifications for Office
Emerge Alumni
To what extent should the state regulate the standards for the use of water and electricity and extent of environmental impact by data centers?
The state should require transparency on projected utility usage, environmental impact, and long-term community benefits before major projects are approved.
I support reasonable regulations that encourage energy efficiency, water conservation, and investment in modern infrastructure so residential customers are not left paying higher costs. Large users should contribute fairly to the systems they depend on. We should also prioritize partnerships that include renewable energy, workforce training, and local hiring. Growth is important, but it must be sustainable and balanced with the needs of families, farms, and small businesses. I do not want data centers to come to Oconee County.
What strategies would you support for developing affordable/workforce housing?
I support incentives for builders who create quality workforce housing, especially in growing areas where teachers, nurses, first responders, and young families are being priced out. We should also make it easier to redevelop vacant properties and underused land into housing instead of letting buildings sit empty.
I also support programs that help first-time homebuyers with down payment assistance and financial education. In rural communities like ours, we should not overlook rehabilitation grants that help repair older homes and preserve affordable housing already in place.
What, if anything, should the state legislature do to ensure access to quality healthcare in SC at an affordable cost for all?
The legislature has a responsibility to improve access, especially in rural areas where hospital closures, provider shortages, and long travel times are real problems. I support policies that strengthen rural healthcare systems, expand access to primary care, mental health services, and telehealth, and invest in recruiting and retaining doctors, nurses, and specialists in underserved communities.
What is your position on the use of tax revenue to fund public versus private education?
Public tax dollars should first and foremost strengthen public education, because public schools serve every child who walks through their doors. That includes students with disabilities, children in poverty, and families in every community. Strong public schools are essential to workforce development, property values, and the long-term success of our state.
Parents should have options, but those options cannot come at the expense of underfunded public classrooms. Before expanding taxpayer support for private education, we must ensure public schools are fully funded, teachers are supported, and students have access to safe facilities, modern materials, and career pathways.
Use this space, if you wish, to discuss your views on any other issues.
Candidate has not yet responded.
Biographical Information
Campaign Phone
864-723-5810
Website
http://repjasminewilliams.com
Qualifications for Office
Bachelors of Science from Emory University. Career dedicated to nonprofit environmental work in the upstate with Chattooga Conservancy.
To what extent should the state regulate the standards for the use of water and electricity and extent of environmental impact by data centers?
As a career environmentalist, I will make my position on this crystal clear: Clean water and affordable electricity are public resources and rights.
They belong to the people of South Carolina — NOT to any corporation.
When a data center consumes millions of gallons of water from watersheds like the Chauga, which Westminster depends on for clean drinking water, or draws massive amounts of electricity that drives up utility bills for working families already struggling to pay their power bills, that is a public concern that demands EXTENSIVE and stringent oversight through state regulations.
What strategies would you support for developing affordable/workforce housing?
First and foremost, I would fight for a living wage — because no housing strategy works if workers cannot afford the rent. Wages and housing costs must be addressed together. You cannot build your way out of an affordability crisis if the people who need housing most are still earning $7.25 an hour.
What, if anything, should the state legislature do to ensure access to quality healthcare in SC at an affordable cost for all?
At least 83,00 South Carolinians — many of them in rural upstate communities — fall through the cracks between Medicaid eligibility and marketplace subsidies. They have no realistic path to healthcare coverage.
In my opinion, the single biggest step towards healthcare affordability that we can take in our state is expanding Medicaid in South Carolina. We are one of only ten states that have not done so already, and the fact that making our healthcare affordable has become a partisan issue is one of the most shameful failures of our current state legislature.
Medicaid expansion has been proposed in the South Carolina House through H. 3109 and, if elected, this is a bill that I would avidly support.
What is your position on the use of tax revenue to fund public versus private education?
My position is straightforward: public tax dollars belong in public schools. Full stop.
South Carolina's public schools serve the overwhelming majority of our children, including nearly every child in Oconee and Pickens Counties. We rank 43rd in the nation in education performance. We have a teacher vacancy crisis. We STILL are failing to offer children universally free public school meals (in a place where they are legally required to be!).
These issues are where our taxpayer money belongs.
Use this space, if you wish, to discuss your views on any other issues.
One of the most thoroughly discussed issues in District 1 is our lack of reliable infrastructure, particularly our roads, which tend to be overlooked by the SCDOT.
Last month, the SC house passed a bill (S.831) aimed at making the SCDOT more effective. I would advocate for going beyond the contents of this bill by:
Encouraging the House to consider reform of the South Carolina Transportation Infrastructure Bank (SCTIB), an independent agency from the SCDOT that operates with limited oversight and often holds up funding for our roads.
Assessing the Statewide benefits of replacing gas tax with a Vehicle Miles Traveled (VMT) fee for commercial vehicles and large freight operators — the heaviest road users who cause the most damage.