Whether long-time liberals or first-day Democrats, Beaufort County voters are expected to turn out in force today to cast their ballots in the 2004 presidential primary season's first stop in the South.

South Carolina joins six other states -- Missouri, Oklahoma, North Dakota, Arizona, Delaware and New Mexico -- holding presidential primaries or caucuses today.

Fred Kuhn, chairman of the Beaufort County Democratic Party, said he expects today's turnout to buck the historic Southern trend of low primary numbers, especially since state officials have opted to remove a roadblock some said would scare away potential voters.

The state party had planned on requiring all voters to sign a Democratic oath that read, "I consider myself to be a Democrat" before voting.

State officials had said the oath would prevent Republicans from insincerely aiding a weak candidate -- known as strategic voting -- but at the last minute responded to public outcry and backed off the plan.

"With all the excitement and intense competition about the primary building out there in the community, we were receiving information that some people who do not want to see our primary succeed were spreading confusion about the pledge to try to depress turnout and confuse voters," state party Chairman Joe Erwin said in a press release Monday.

Kuhn said the decision to remove the pledge should help strengthen today's turnout.

"It was something the national party wanted to include but without thinking it through very carefully," he said. "They had good intentions but bad execution, and common sense finally prevailed."

State law doesn't require voters to side with a particular party making all registered voters eligible to vote in today's Democratic primary without precluding them from participating in the June Republican local and statewide primaries.

At stake today are 45 of the 2,161 delegates needed to win the party's presidential nomination at the national Democratic convention.

Fighting for the state's endorsement are retired Gen. Wesley Clark, Vermont Gov. Howard Dean, U.S. Sens. John Edwards, John Kerry, Dennis Kucinich, Joe Lieberman and the Reverend Al Sharpton.

Turnout for primary elections in South Carolina is traditionally very low with Beaufort County accounting for some of the state's worst numbers.

In 1992, less than 1 percent of the county's registered voters, or 149 people, turned out to vote in the Democratic primary, the second lowest turn out in the state. Statewide about 20 percent of South Carolina's registered voters cast their ballots in that race.

In 2000, about 2 percent, or 1,266 of Beaufort County voters, came out to participate in the Democratic caucus, compared with about 9 percent participation statewide.

"I'm hoping for a better turnout than we've gotten historically," Kuhn said. "I believe we'll get a strong turnout with all the publicity we've been receiving nationally."

Agnes Garvin, director of the Beaufort County Board of Elections, said she expects turnout among the county's more than 67,900 registered, active voters to be much stronger this year with more than 200 absentee ballots already in.

"Everybody's saying it's going to be high turnout," she said. "And we've seen 200 people vote so far in the absentee precinct, which means there's interest out there."

Today's primary will be managed entirely by the local Democratic party, with the exception of absentee ballots, which will be counted by county election staff.

With polls open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., more than 450 primary volunteers will count the paper-ballot results and phone them in to the county elections office, 104 Ribaut Road. The results will be posted at the office and on the county's Web site, http://www.co.beaufort.sc.us.

Local officials expect the final results to be tallied by about 8:30 p.m.

Voters should have no problems getting to the polls with the National Weather Service calling for a few early showers making way for a partly sunny day and highs in the mid 60s.

Today's results will be certified by the local party's executive committee at 10 a.m. Thursday at the elections office.