The Tega Cay Sun has joined the Associated Press Fund for Journalism’s 2026 Elections Program, which will supply live race results, vote counts and political reporting from the Associated Press to this publication and its sister papers, the Fort Mill Sun and YoCo News, through Dec. 31.
Filling in the rest of the ballot
Local election coverage has been a strength of this newspaper. The Tega Cay Sun’s election reporting took third place among all weekly newspapers in South Carolina in the 2024 South Carolina Press Association awards. Adding Associated Press content rounds out that coverage, taking readers from local races to state and national contests and giving them one stop for every election on the ballot this year.
The program covers live results for South Carolina races in the Nov. 3 general election along with state primaries and runoffs. That includes contests these publications have followed for months. The Senate District 15 special election created by Wes Climer’s resignation goes to voters Nov. 3, with a Democratic primary between Chad Williams and Monika White set for Sept. 1. Climer is the Republican nominee in the 5th Congressional District race on the same November ballot, and Ralph Norman entered the U.S. Senate contest in July.
Reporting tools and coverage
Alongside results, the fund provides Associated Press text and photography on national politics and federal government, plus a set of reporting tools called Localize It. Those tools supply datasets, background material and suggested local sources so smaller newsrooms can trace a national story back to its effect on a specific county. For York and Lancaster County readers, that is the difference between reading that a federal rule changed and reading what it does to a school district budget or a permit application on Logistics Lane.
About the fund
The Associated Press created the fund in 2024 to make public service journalism available to state and local news organizations that cannot afford wire service access on their own. Its local news program grew from a pilot of roughly 50 newsrooms to 100 in March, and the fund has said it aims for 150 by the end of 2026 and 300 by 2028.
Nothing about the arrangement changes what these publications charge readers, which is nothing, or what they cover. Local reporting on the Fort Mill School District, York County Council, the Silfab Solar case and area high school sports continues as it has.
Sign up here to receive the Tega Cay Sun "day" Spectator every Sunday morning with all the news from the week directly to your inbox
Thomas Hyslip lives in Tega Cay with his wife and daughter. After 27 years in the U.S. Army and Federal Law Enforcement, he retired to pursue his passion for teaching. Tom is now an Assistant Professor of Instruction at the University of South Florida. In 2 short years he has won 10 awards from the South Carolina Press Association, including first place in column writing, education beat reporting and best podcast.
