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Date Published: June 8, 2004
Officials expect high turnout
Voters to determine heated primary races
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Bruz Crowson / The Item
Pat Jefferson, executive director of the Sumter
County Voter Registration/Election Commission, left,
discusses voting items with poll workers Raleigh McCoy,
center, and Goliath Brunson III on Monday at the Sumter
County Courthouse. |
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By ADAM BEAM
Item Intern
AdamB@theitem.com
Election officials in Sumter, Clarendon and Lee counties
are expecting high turnouts for today’s primaries based on
higher-than- usual absentee ballot requests.
As of 5 p.m.
Monday, Sumter County had 1,508 absentee ballot requests, about
three times the normal number for a primary, according to Pat
Jefferson, executive director of the Sumter County Voter
Registration/Election Commission.
Joe Gagne, 67, of Sumter
voted absentee Friday morning. He said the race for Sumter County
sheriff is probably drawing the most attention.
“Whoever gets
elected will probably stay in office for the next 12 to 16 years,”
he said. “Make sure the right man, hopefully, gets the
nomination.”
Clarendon County had 864 absentee ballot
requests for the Democratic primary, only 23 for the Republican
primary.
“Today has been real hectic,” said Shirley Black,
director of Clarendon County Voter Registration. “From the time we
walked in this morning people were waiting at the
door.”
Black said the absentee numbers were about normal for
Democrat-heavy Clarendon County, but she still expects a high
turnout today because of several heated races, namely coroner and
probate judge.
Ranny Stephens, who is retiring after 20
years as Clarendon County coroner, usually ran unopposed. This year
two new faces, Robert Fleming and Hayes Samuels Jr., are competing
for the position. Both are funeral home directors.
Incumbent
Probate Judge Barney Lee Brewer Morris faces competition from Percy
Harvin Jr. and Henry King Jr.
Lynn Hill, director of Lee
County Voter Registration, was counting absentee ballots at 5 p.m.
Monday as fast as she could before the deadline.
“We have 197
absentee ballots — wait, 197, someone just came in — no, 198,” she
said.
Hill called the absentee numbers about average, and
said voter turnout is usually linked to absentee turnout. When the
polls close at 7 p.m. today, all the precincts will bring their
boxes to the Lee County Courthouse, where they will be counted by an
optical scanner.
“It’s kind of like a grocery store, just run
something over, we put the ballots in the machine and it scans them
through,” Hill said. “We should be through by 8:30 or 9
o’clock.”
Polls are open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. and voters can
only vote in one primary, either Democratic or Republican. If you
vote in the Democratic primary and there is a run-off in the
Republican primary, you can’t vote in it. But, if you don’t vote in
today’s primary and there is a runoff, you can.
Runoff
elections will be held June 22, if necessary. Write-in votes will
not be accepted today, but will be accepted in the general election
in November.
Contact Item Intern Adam Beam at AdamB@theitem.com or
803-774-1294.
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June 22, 2004 
