Elections
Over half of county’s voters turned out for early voting
Over half of Georgetown County voters cast early or absentee ballots ahead of this Tuesday’s general election, according to data from the S.C. Election Commission.
If turnout this year is the same as it was in the 2020 presidential election – 74.3 percent – the 26,124 votes already cast will represent just over 80 percent of the total.
Of the 24,378 early voters, over half voted at the Waccamaw Regional Recreation Center. It saw a steady increase in turnout after early voting began Oct. 21. Its busiest day was Oct. 29, with 1,370 votes cast.
County voters could go to any of the four centers – including rec centers in Andrews and Choppee and the county Office of Voter Registration and Elections in Georgetown – regardless of which precinct they were registered in.
On Election Day, voters must vote in the precinct where they are registered.
For voters in the nine Waccamaw Neck precinct, there are only two contested local races.
U.S. 1st District Rep. Russell Fry, a first-term Republican, faces a challenge from Mal Hyman, a Democrat who teaches at Coker College.
Carter Weaver is running for re-election as Georgetown County sherrif. The Republican became sheriff after the death of Lane Cribb in 2019 and won a special election and the general election the following year.
Weaver is opposed by Democrat Birt Adams, who also ran in 2020. He is a former New York corrections officer.
They will vote on two local sales tax proposals: a local option sales tax that will be used to provide a credit for taxes on real estate and personal and business property and a capital project sales tax that will fund 22 priority infrastructure projects valued at $74 million over eight years.
The area’s two Republican state lawmakers, Sen. Stephen Goldfinch and Rep. Lee Hewitt and unopposed. So is County Council Member Bob Anderson in District 2.
Five courthouse officials are also unopposed for re-election.
Patti Hammel is unopposed for re-election to the District 1 school board seat. Kristie Baxley is unopposed for the District 6 seat. The positions are nonpartisan.
Voters can check their registration and find their polling place online at scvotes.org.
