Horry County absentee turnout quadruples 2016 early votes with 6 days until election
The clock is ticking on the Election Day countdown, and Horry County has already dwarfed its 2016 early voter turnout, drawing more than 80,000 people to the polls with six days left until the general election.
In all of 2016, around 19,000 people voted early, according to Horry County Registration and Elections Director Sandy Martin. While part of this year’s strong turnout can undoubtedly be contributed to the coronavirus and South Carolina’s alteration of voting rules to allow anyone to vote absentee in-person due to the pandemic, Martin said she was still surprised by voters coming in droves.
“I knew we’d have a large turnout but I didn’t think it would be this big,” she said.
Across the county, more than 256,000 people are registered to vote. In the 2016 election, voter turnout was around 74%, a number Martin expects to surpass this year.
Horry County follows the trend of South Carolina, which has seen more than 1 million votes cast so far.
What to expect on Election Day
As the pandemic rages on across the country and in the Myrtle Beach area, coronavirus precautions will be taken at the polls, similarly to the June primary, Martin said. Even though certain municipalities like Myrtle Beach and North Myrtle Beach will still be under mask requirements on Election Day, Horry County poll workers won’t be able to require anyone to wear a mask while voting, Martin said.
“You still cannot require a voter to wear a mask if they don’t want to,” she said.
While some polling places across the country have said they will have police presence, Martin said the only way cops will be at the polls is if the police are called to respond to a situation, or if the individual officers are voting.
Reminders for voters
It hasn’t been uncommon for voters to wait more than an hour to cast their ballots during early voting, causing Myrtle Beach Mayor Brenda Bethune to advise patience, telling voters not to be discouraged by long wait times.
“The lines are already long,” she said. “People do need to get out and vote.”
As advice for voters goes, Martin reminded people who have received an absentee ballot that they can’t decide not to use it and vote in person instead. If they requested one but never received it, they will be permitted to vote in person on Election Day.
Unsure who’s on your ballot? Check out The Sun News’ Voter Guide before heading to the polls.
This story was originally published October 28, 2020 at 2:39 PM with the headline "Horry County absentee turnout quadruples 2016 early votes with 6 days until election."
