Pee Dee polls open to standing-room-only crowds

At Ward No. 12, which is located at the Florence Bible Chapel, more than 400 people had voted before 11 a.m. Tuesday. In fact, the poll clerk told News13 there were several people already in line when she arrived at the precinct around 6 a.m.

Early in the day, the wait to vote was around two and a half hours, but around noon that wait had decreased to about one and a half hours.

The poll clerk said one voting machine did experience some problems early in the day, but technicians fixed it, making all seven of the machines operational.

SLIDESHOW

Election Day in the Pee Dee

At precinct No. 58, the poll clerk said there were five machines. Early in the day, he said there were some programming problems. However, around 1 p.m. all machines were operational. The poll clerk told News13 that he thought turnout was above average.

-- McKenzie Taylor, WBTW News13

Florence election officials field complaints

Florence County interim Voter Registration and Elections Director Steve Love said he’s received complaints regarding voters who say they live within Florence city limits but received the wrong ballot style, thereby making them unable to vote in the mayoral or city council races.

“I don’t know whether it’s a large issue or not,” he said Tuesday afternoon.

Voters have made their complaints, however, after casting their ballots, when it’s too late to remedy a problem, Love said.

If a voter thinks he or she has received the wrong ballot style, that voter should speak up during the voting process, not afterward, he said.

Some Florence residents didn’t vote in June’s municipal primaries after voter registration books showed erroneously that they don’t live within city limits.

Florence Mayor Frank Willis, who was defeated in this summer’s Democratic primary, filed a protest of that election based partly on the argument that some city residents weren’t allowed to vote in the municipal primary.

-- Charles Tomlinson, Morning News

Darlington poll workers brace for a long day

Sadie Lee Stewart, a poll worker at the High Hill precinct at Darlington County Fire District Station 5, said people were lined up to vote when poll workers arrived at 6 a.m. to prepare for the election Tuesday. She said she and her fellow poll workers expect to be working well past 7 p.m., when voting ends, although anyone in line to vote by then wil be allowed to do so.

Vereda Marchette, another poll worker at the High Hill precinct, said there are normally three to four machine at the precinct for elections. Tuesday, there were nine, although one of the machines had failed by 10 a.m.

"We've been very busy," she said, noting that things were running rather smoothly through the morning.

By 10 a.m., 418 people voted at the High Hill precinct, poll worker Joan Dunbar said. By 10:55 a.m., however, there were no people in line to vote. Dunbar said she would tally the number of voters at the precinct again at 1 p.m.

High Hill Fire Chief Harry Tarlton said when he arrived at the fire station about 6:30 a.m., there was a line of voters down both Hoffmeyer and High Hill roads, the corner where the station is located, and the parking lot was so full of vehicles people were creating their own parking spaces as close to the station as possible.

-- Jackie Torok, Morning News

Standing room only Crowds

Polls in Florence opened to standing-room-only crowds Tuesday as voters lined up to take part in what will be a historical election -- with either the first African American elected as president or the first woman elected as vice president.

Voting at Florence Bible Chapel was a two-hour wait at one point Tuesday morning.

Not all precincts, though, were as busy.

"We vote at Woodman Of the World in Mars Bluff area and although it was crowded, it ran smoothly. Vary impressed with the workers and their efforts. Took hubby about an hour at early morning and it only took me 22 minutes after 10am. Good going guys!! Great work," michelle239 commented on an election article.

Around 10 a.m. Morning News reporter Jamie Rogers reported there had been a "ballot mixup" at North Vista Elementary School in Florence that had caused some voting problems. No other details were available.

Earlier in the day, at the Florence County Public Services Building on South Irby Street, the line to vote at 6:50 a.m. started on one side of the building, snaked across the front of the building, turned and ran down the other side of the building.

At Savannah Grove Elementary School, voter John McElwee said the parking lot was full and there had to be "hundreds and hundreds" of people there to cast their ballots.

At Poynor Adult Education Center and at Maple Park Community Center voters lined up outside, armed with umbrellas, to cast their ballots.

-- Matt Robertson, scnow.com

Tips to make voting eaiser

Polling places across the state opened at 7am this morning and they will remain open until 7pm. Thousands of South Carolinians have already cast their ballots early through absentee voting, but many more are headed to the polls today.

If you are planning to vote today, here are some helpful tips:

• Bring the proper ID, either your driver’s license, voter registration card, or state-issued photo ID.
  
• You are not allowed to wear anything that shows support for a candidate or cause, including hats, shirts, or buttons, and you can’t carry signs.
  
• Curbside voting is available to anyone 65 and older, or anyone who is physically handicapped.
  
• People with blindness or other physical disabilities can have assistance with the polls.

-- Lyra Manning, WBTW News13