Beaufort County voters choose new sheriff for first time in over 20 years

BEAUFORT, S.C. (WTOC) -Beaufort County voters are deciding who will be the new sheriff for the first time in over 20 years. Doug Seifert and Alphonso Small Jr. are the candidates in the race.Despite a strong early voting season, the polling place at Hilton Head Island School for the Creative Arts has still been busy during the midterm election.The candidatesSmall is a law enforcement veteran and a current Beaufort County School District Board member. During his time on the school board, he helped bring weapons detection systems to district high schools and raise teacher salaries.“Beaufort County needs a change. Need a connection with the community because there is a disconnect between law enforcement and the community,” said Small. “So I wanna kind of like bridge that gap between law enforcement and community and the trust issue. I want to build the trust back with the Sheriffs office and the community.”Seifert worked with the sheriff’s office before running. He has the endorsement of