Hundreds in York County turn out for SC primaries despite coronavirus concern
Primary day in York County looked a little different Tuesday due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Some polling precincts were closed or consolidated. Poll managers sat behind a clear shield, known as a sneeze guard. And blue tape lined the floors to mark appropriate social distances.
But the changes did not stop voters from casting their ballot in several contested county, state and federal primary elections that will determine the respective Democratic and Republican candidates in November, election officials said.
Hundreds of voters headed out to the polls, which opened at 7 a.m., to vote in contests for S.C. House and Senate races, U.S. House seats and several local races in York, Lancaster and Chester counties. And a record number of absentee ballots have already been cast in the county.
As of Monday, the York County voter registration office had recorded more than 4,000 absentee ballots returned by mail and in person, spokesperson Beth Covington said. Voters have until 7 p.m. Tuesday to return a mailed absentee ballot to county registration offices, so she anticipates that number will increase, she said.
Covington said less than 2,000 absentee ballots were returned in the county for each of the 2016 and 2018 statewide primaries.
“Our absentee was up significantly,” Covington said. “We encouraged absentee by mail, simply because of the COVID-19 issue. We wanted our older voters and our voters with underlying health issues to know there was still a safe way to vote. And they showed up for that.”
Covington said the office lost more than 50% of its poll workers, so several precincts were combined across the county.
“That was very difficult to come back from,” she said. “Of course we don’t want to have to combine precincts. We know that’s not the ideal. Our job is to be accessible for voters and we want to see people voting.”
Despite the shortage of workers, Covington said several people in the county stepped up to help.
“We have county employees working as election workers,” she said. “We have school employees from the different districts. They really came out and just saved us in so many of our polling locations.”
Around 1 p.m., there was a line of voters out the door of Harold C. Johnson Elementary School in York. About 140 voters had cast their ballot at that polling location by that time, a poll manager said.
Jennifer Sexton and her husband, Eddie Sexton, spent part of their wedding anniversary voting Tuesday.
“It’s part of our festivities,” Jennifer Sexton said. She went on to say that she was there to vote for a particular candidate.
“I am a school teacher, so I am here for Mike Fanning because he is our advocate,” Jennifer Sexton said. “He takes care of us and makes sure our voices are heard.”
S.C. Sen. Mike Fanning, who was first elected in 2016, faces former S.C. Rep. MaryGail Douglas for the District 17 seat, which represents Chester, Fairfield and York counties. The Democratic senator, who is a former teacher, has been vocal in fighting an education reform bill that he argued should do more for teachers.
“I trust him to make sure we are stood up for,” Jennifer Sexton said. “I’m coming up on my 22nd year teaching and it’s important to me to have people (in Columbia) who understand what we do.”
Despite the COVID-19 protections implemented at polling locations, Eddie Sexton said voting during the pandemic did not feel much different.
“Usually when we come, it’s not real crowded anyway,” he said. “And it moves pretty quick. There might be a line sometimes but it’s not here very long.”
Before 2 p.m. at the Central Office Rock Hill Schools on Black Street, which combined two precincts, about 200 voters had cast their ballot, Kendall Wright, a clerk, said.
At the two check-in tables, poll managers sat behind sneeze guards. Hand sanitizer was placed on every table. And although voters weren’t required to wear masks, most people who entered the Rock Hill precinct around 2 p.m. had one on.
“Everything has been going really well,” Wright said. “Everyone has their mask and their gloves on. We are constantly wiping down all the counters. They’re also wiping down all the machines. People just need to continue to come out and vote.”
Check heraldonline.com later for primary results.
This story was originally published June 9, 2020 at 3:52 PM.
