COLUMBIA, S.C. (WIS) – Nearly one in five voters in South Carolina has already cast their ballot in this year’s midterm elections, according to data from the South Carolina Election Commission. I’m done.
South Carolina currently has approximately 3.4 million eligible voters.
560,622 voted during the state’s 12-day early voting period. This is the first general election based on the new state law passed earlier this year.
More than 50,000 people have already voted absentee ballots.
Chris Whitmire, spokesperson for the South Carolina Commission of Elections, said: “We believe early voting was a huge success.
If voter turnout aligns with the 2018 midterm elections, this means that nearly a third of all votes will take place before Election Day.
Robert Oldendick, a professor of political science at the University of South Carolina, said voter turnout was likely to be similar to that election.
Whitmire said with so many people voting before Election Day, the lines are likely to be shorter on Tuesday.
It could also be a smoother day for poll workers.
Voter numbers have trended upward throughout the 12 days, peaking last Friday when 68,817 people turned out to vote.
Richland County voter turnout mirrored statewide figures, with the highest voter turnout on Friday, November 4, when 5,913 voted.
Charleston County had the highest early voting turnout with 67,364 voters, followed by Holly County (51,116 votes), Greenville County (49,987 votes), Richland County (46,498 votes), and Lexington County (29,315 votes). rice field.
Beyond convenience, Oldendick said changing political dynamics could be another reason for the high voter turnout.
“Many people waited until Election Day approached to decide who to vote for. We were much closer. The country was not so polarized,” he used. “People are making decisions very early now, even before they know who the candidate is for Labor Day or who to vote for. No need to.”
The state board of elections is not proposing any legislative changes to South Carolina’s early voting laws, Whitmire said.
The commission will work with county voter registration and election commissions to enable additional early voting locations and capacities.
“The situation is that if you build it, they will come,” Whitmire said. “So the more we open up early voting, the more convenient it is for voters and the more likely they are to take advantage of it.”
The first is a census in selected districts in each county.
“After the election, we open the ballot boxes and count them by hand to see what the voters see and make sure the voting system matches what they read. It’s hard to argue that it’s not accurate.” Whitmire said. “Right now we can’t exactly count all 2 million votes cast, but it’s a good sample of the number of precincts statewide.”
County voter registration and election commissions will certify results on Friday, and state elections commission certification will occur on Thursday, November 17.
The State Electoral Commission does not anticipate delays in reporting results. Whitmire said most of the results should arrive by 10pm.
“There are thousands of x-factors on Election Day that can go wrong,” he said. “The normal process and what we expect is that there should be quite a few provinces coming in, almost all provinces probably by 10 or so, but there will always be some stragglers. there will be
Voting is open from 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. on Election Day.
A valid ID is required to vote.
State election officials are proposing to review sample ballots. website before heading to the polls on Tuesday. It also lists polling place locations.
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