Record turnout expected for Democratic primary

COLUMBIA, S.C. - More than 200,000 voters turned out for Tuesday's South Carolina's Democratic presidential primary, nearly doubling the party's old primary record.

Unofficial returns showed, with 94 percent of precincts reporting, more than 275,000 South Carolinians cast ballots in the first-in-the-South contest. About 114,000 voters turned out for the state's 1992 Democratic presidential primary, state party chairman Joe Erwin said.

However, Tuesday's turnout likely won't reach half of the more than 570,000 voters who participated in the state's 2000 Republican presidential primary.

And even breaking the old Democratic primary record is a little misleading because the 1992 primary was held late in the season after Bill Clinton had effectively won the Democrats' nomination.

Even so, Erwin said he is proud of how hard his party worked to put on the primary amid constant questions about whether Democrats could pull it off. South Carolina is one of only two states where the parties must run their own presidential primaries.

State Republican Chairman Katon Dawson said Tuesday's effort shows the Democrats never really energized most of the state's voters. "I think this bodes extremely well for us in South Carolina come November," he said.

All but 23 of the state's nearly 2,000 voting places were able to open. Most of those troubled precincts were in Horry County, where the local party struggled to find volunteers to run the polls in the rural western part of the county, said Greg McCollum, Horry County Democratic Party chairman.

"I'm sure it frustrated some people, and I apologize for that," McCollum told The (Myrtle Beach) Sun News.

Other precincts had problems such as construction or lack of heat, Erwin said.

Darlington County Democratic Party Chairman Charles Govan said turnout was light in the Pee Dee.

"It's low. At most of the precincts, if you have 1,200 or 1,500 people registered and you've only voted 15 or 20, to me that's low," he said. "The weather was kind of cold earlier this morning."

There was a delay opening in at least one precinct in the area.

"The basic problem is getting volunteers," Govan said. "It's been very difficult to find volunteers."

Not all the precincts opened at 7 a.m. because building managers were unprepared. But with help from party officials in Columbia, Erwin said nearly all precincts were open by 8 a.m. and were to remain open until 7 p.m.

"No major problems," Erwin said Tuesday afternoon, knocking on the lectern.

Erwin reported heavier-than-expected turnout in precincts with large numbers of black voters and also in Kershaw and Chesterfield counties, where special elections for state Senate were being held.

Since the primary was under the party's control, standards varied from precinct to precinct. At one polling place, cardboard screens meant to provide privacy for voters were turned the wrong way. At another, a voter helped a poll volunteer figure out what to do when her name didn't appear on the voter rolls.

Individual precincts reported some challenge ballots as voters failed to mark their paper ballots clearly enough to be tallied, but state Democratic officials Tuesday evening did not know how many contested ballots had been reported across the state.

Fairfield County Councilman Kamau Marcharia said he was visiting precincts to see whether everything was running smoothly.

"My concern is that they didn't reach out and give poll people any training, so we just took matters in our own hands," said Marcharia, who came to a Jenkinsville precinct Tuesday to help the poll manager who "had never done this before."

State party officials were hoping that by dropping a controversial voter oath requirement on Monday, independents and even some Republicans would flock to the polls.

At least one Columbia man who identified himself as an independent said he wasn't going to vote but changed his mind when he got to the polls and learned he didn't have to sign the oath, which read: "I consider myself to be a Democrat."

Mariscia Thompson, 34, voted for South Carolina native John Edwards, who was banking on a win in his home state.

Leroy Miller, 56, voted for Wesley Clark. "I just feel he's strong on his issues because of his military background," he said. "I feel that makes him a strong candidate. I think he is for the people."

Miller said jobs and health care were his biggest concerns, and he finally chose between two veterans - Clark and John Kerry.

He also was upset with the Bush administration.

"We've spent so much money to have the war, and now we have to spend money to get out," Miller said. "I think we ought to get our troops out of Iraq."

In Leesville, a poll manager said turnout was good by midday.

Clinton Ridgell, 47, said he voted for Kerry.

Kerry "said he would try to bring more jobs to South Carolina. I think we do need a change. I'd rather have somebody who can fight a war and know what a war is."

But can Kerry beat president Bush?

"Yes, that's the reason I'm voting for him. If it wasn't for that, I'd be voting for (Al) Sharpton."