Election live updates: U.S. Rep. of Horry, Georgetown reportedly headed back to D.C.
Update 10:30 p.m.
U.S. Rep. Tom Rice will continue representing the 7th Congressional District in Washington D.C. for a fifth consecutive term after winning reelection Tuesday night, according to Associate Press reports.
The Myrtle Beach area Republican, who was first elected in 2012, declared victory over Democratic challenger Melissa Watson, a longtime teacher who grew up in Dillon County.
Update 7 p.m.
Polls are closing, and early reports indicate no major problems.
With just under an hour to go before polls were to close at the Carolina Forest precinct, there was no line. Poll worker Mary Baldwin, who’s worked at local precincts since at least 2000, said they haven’t had any issues that couldn’t quickly be resolved. About half of the more than 800 people who voted there came 7-9 a.m., and there’s been no line since 2 p.m., Baldwin said.
Meanwhile, Horry County Memorial Library reported few problems as time wound down.
Christi McCray-Eagles, who has been a poll worker for 28 years, said it was busy in the morning and slowed down throughout the day. She said there was some confusion with absentee ballots but most people were understanding.
“Voters with absentee ballots were upset but flexible,” she said.
Update 6 p.m.
Horry County Director of Elections and Registration Sandra Martin said it was busy for staff handling the elections. She added precincts tried to deal with long lines by practicing social distancing and other safety precautions.
There was a problems with ballots arriving at two precincts about a half-an-hour after voting started, Martin said. She attributed to an honest staff mistake.
Update 5:15 p.m
Martin said ballot drop-off locations were shuttered because there was not enough staff to man the stations.
So far, the county has scanned about 10% of the 30,000 expected absentee ballots. “That’s low,” she said. “It’s not opening them that takes long, it’s scanning them,” she said.
Election officials set up additional scanners and plan to be working until the morning.
Update 5 p.m.
Lines have slowed down at the election center in Conway, but some voters are still reporting difficulty casting their ballots.
Bruce Crawford didn’t request an absentee ballot for this election, but he received one. It happened because he requested an absentee for the primary election and was automatically sent one for the general election.
He expected to vote at his local precinct but was turned away after 2 hours in line.
He faced another long wait in Conway. Crawford was eventually able to vote after 5 hours in two lines.
“They definitely need to clarify things,” he said. “But it was so important to vote so we hung in there.”
Update 4:30 p.m.
At a poling place off Georgetown Highway there were no lines and only a handful of trucks parked in the gravel lots.
“The way to be heard is to go out and vote. If you don’t vote, no need to say anything.” said Pamela Hudson, 50.
Her son, Micaiah Hudson, 21, voted for the first time today. His mom said he wasn’t registered to vote when he arrived at the polls today but the poll workers took time to helped him register on-site. “I feel like my voice matters and it’s the right thing to do
Original Story
Long lines, chilly temperatures and a few headaches are some of the huddles Myrtle Beach area voters faced so they could participate in Election Day.
From the moment the sun rose, some voters in Horry and Georgetown counties had to endure hours-long waits to cast their ballots. Record setting turnout is expected this year across the country.
Voters are deciding several local and national races, including U.S. President, where Republican Donald Trump vied for a second term against Democrat Joe Biden.
South Carolinians also voted for one of their U.S. Senate seats deciding between incumbent Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) and Democrat Jaime Harrison. Voters also chose U.S. House Representatives and several local races.
For complete coverage of the election results, check Myrtlebeachonline.com and future editions of The Sun News.
In addition to long waits, some voters in Horry County reported problems trying to return absentee ballots. A drop box at the Horry County election center was taped up, which meant residents had to wait in line for hours to return their votes.
Others were told at their polling place they had to come to Conway to drop off ballots as they could not be collected at a precinct.
Ryan Brown spent time in two lines today. He requested an absentee ballot while he was out of state weeks before the election. When it didn’t come, he went to vote in person at his precinct.
Officials told him he had to go to Conway, where he waited over an hour to end the confusion and vote.
Horry County Director of Elections and Registration Sandra Martin could not be reached in time for this report to speak about the absentee issue or the long lines at some polling places.
Horry County votes
In Horry County, Election Day started with long lines at many polling places.
At Socastee High School, the line was already a few hundred people long by 7:30 a.m. Some brought foldable seats and packed a cup of coffee in anticipation of the wait. The people in line stood a few feet apart, trying to social distance as they voted during a pandemic.
Kimberly Vereen was one of those voters who arrived at the school and said she cast a ballot in most years. Vereen, who is Black, said her top issue is making sure her children are safe.
“The state of the world is my No. 1,” Vereen said.
By 2:30 p.m., the lines at the school had quieted and there was much less wait. Paul Dillon, a clerk for the Lake Park precinct at Socastee High School, said 456 people voted by mid-afternoon. He expected an uptick with the after-work crowd.
“As far as the day, the early voting has really cut us down,” he said.
At nearby Palmetto Shores Church, the morning line was not as long as Socastee High, but still required a bit of a wait as three dozen people braved the chilly temperatures at 7:45 a.m.
Amy Ray said she arrived at 6:30 a.m. to find the line was already several people long. She said her boss supported voting and told employees that they would start work when everybody arrived—even if there was a delay because of long wait times.
The year was the first time Ray voted, which created a few nerves as she double and triple checked her ballot to make sure it was filled out correctly.
“This is the most politics I’ll do for the next four years,” she said.
At the Socastee Middle School, voters were split in their opinions up and down their ballots. Some had voted for former President Barack Obama, but we’re now backing Trump. Others said their views aligned with Trump but couldn’t bring themselves to punch one in for him. Still others voted third party for president, but Republican in other races.
And then there was Sharon Landren, a new resident of Socastee by way of North Carolina and New Mexico. She said she was a lifelong Democrat, and voted for Hillary Clinton in 2016, but voted for Trump this time.
She was upset with how the Democrats had treated Trump during his first four years, and didn’t like what Biden had to offer.
“His mouth gets him in trouble all the time, don’t get me wrong. But he’s trying. Whereas the Democrats, and I’m a Democrat, I’ve been a Democrat all my life, they’re pushing the envelope, they have not given him an opportunity to accomplish anything because he is constantly in a battle with them, and I don’t believe in that,” Landren, 74, said. “He was voted president and we should give him a break.”
Mark Moore, meanwhile, voted for Biden, as well as Jamie Harrison. Moore moved to Myrtle Beach four years ago, looking for a place to retire peacefully, and said he was sick of Trump and that “it’s time to get the country back together again.”
“Every day you turn the news on and its all crap, constantly, constantly, every day it’s something. I’m tired of it,” Moore, 63, said.
Officials at the Mary C. Canty Recreation Center in Myrtle Beach said voter turnout was higher than in previous years. Kylinda Simmons, 29, said she missed voting in some recent elections, but made sure to bring her two children with her as she voted in 2020.
“From everything that’s going on, I felt it was a must that I get out and vote today,” she said. “With my children growing up and discussing things in school, it was a must.”
Georgetown County votes
In Georgetown County, a handful of polling places did not see long wait times like seen at many Horry County locations. Around 10 a.m., the Murrells Inlet Fire Station had no lines and about a dozen cars parked on the grass.
Most people were able to walk directly inside to vote, though a few that forgot their masks quickly returned to the cars before casting their ballots.
“No lines. Five minutes. I’m done,” said Terry Reynolds.
At Waccamaw High School in Pawleys Island, there was a similar scene as people entered the polling site every 50 seconds. Jesse Hyman said people wore masks while inside and voters were given swabs, so they didn’t touch the voting machines.
“No lines. We were in and out,” Linda Elliott said.
This story was originally published November 3, 2020 at 8:59 AM.
