Early votes pouring into Beaufort County. What’s behind the nearly 4 in 10 record turnout
It took Paul Singleton just 10 minutes to vote Friday morning at the St. Helena Branch Library, one of four voting centers set up to handle early voting across Beaufort County. The 50-year-old carpenter appreciated the convenience of the simple voting process, which gave him the opportunity to avoid the typical rush during the traditional Tuesday election day and quickly return to work.
“I don’t have to stand in a long line,” Singleton said.
Voting is occurring at a record-setting pace across the county for late October and early November thanks to a new way the Board of Voter Registration and Elections is offering ballots that’s been a big hit with residents like Singleton because of its simplicity. “It’s real easy,” says Singleton.
Early voting is offered over a two-week “no excuse” period — as opposed to voting on just the traditional election day. The process differs from the absentee voting. That process allows residents to receive a ballot in the days preceding the election, but they must provide acceptable excuses such as an illness or age.
The pace of “no excuse” early voting has Marie Smalls, who heads the Beaufort County Board of Voter Registration and Elections, excited about this year’s voter turnout.
As of 1 p.m. Friday, 56,855 people, or 40% of the county’s 141,221 registered voters, had voted already in the election, Smalls said, which is the highest percentage of early voting in the county since at least 2008.
“We have record number turnout,” Smalls told the Beaufort Gazette and Island Packet. “That’s a change from what happened before in the other previous elections.”
Early voting was introduced in the mid-term election in 2022 and accounted for 20% of the turnout, according to the county. But this election is the first time early voting is being tested on a large scale during a presidential election — and a nail-biter to boot with Democrat Kamala Harris and Republican Donald Trump virtually tied in national polls in the dwindling days of the campaign. A bevy of federal, state and local races and a $950 million transportation referendum are ramping up interest as well.
While early voting is just two-years old, Smalls says the presidential race of 2020 provides somewhat of a comparison to this year’s early voting pace. In 2020, in-person absentee voting was higher than usual because restrictions on who could vote absentee were dropped due to the coronavirus pandemic. That year, in person absentee voting was 33,591 compared to the 56,855 people who had early voted as of 1 p.m. Friday.
Through Thursday, about 5,000 votes were being cast a day through early voting, Smalls said. Lines have gradually gotten shorter at the locations as “we got into the swing of things.”
If that trends holds during the final two days of early voting Friday and Saturday, it’s possible that 64,000 or 45% of the eligible voters will have voted by the time “election day” rolls around Tuesday.
Beaufort County turnout for the 2020 presidential election was 71%. Smalls believes the county will top that turnout this year in part because of early voting.
“We are all excited about the turnout,” Smalls said, “which is allowing our voters the opportunity to come out and cast their votes early.”
Early voting began Oct. 21 and was scheduled to end at 6 p.m. Saturday.
On Friday morning, dozens of blue and white rectangular campaign signs were interspersed with the oak trees lining Martin Luther King Jr. Drive. A cluster of candidate signs at the intersection with Jonathan Francis Sr. Road clearly marked the turn to the St. Helena Branch Library and the early voting center. Voting was brisk.
“I want to make sure my vote is in and counted,” said David Berry of Lady’s Island, a Great Britain native who’s now a U.S. citizen.
Calling this election critical to the future of the nation and its two-party system, Berry said early voting makes it less liking that there will be issues with counting the votes on election day.
About 85 temporary elections workers were hired to work the four early polling locations and to answer phones and open mail at the main elections office in Beaufort, Smalls said.
Early votes will not be tabulated until after the polls close at 7 p.m. on election day Tuesday, Smalls said.
“What we are hoping is the number of people who have turned out in the early voting will reduce the turnout on election day, which will allow the results to probably get in or finished at a reasonable time,” Smalls said. “However, any voter who is in the line on election day before 7 p.m. will be processed.”
For election day, Beaufort County added 31 additional precincts this year. The hope is that will reduce the number of residents who need to report to any one precinct, reducing the lines and making the election night process run smother, Smalls said.
This story was originally published November 1, 2024 at 12:43 PM.
