January 8, 2008
There are just 11 days left in the countdown to South Carolina's Republican presidential primary, scheduled for Saturday, Jan. 19.
The Democratic primaries will be held a week later on Jan. 26.
The polls will be open from 7 a.m. until 7 p.m. for each race.
As the time nears for voters to head to the polls, Aiken County Registrations and Elections Executive Director Stuart Bedenbaugh has several tips for local residents before they cast their ballots.
Registered voters can participate in only one party primary, Bedenbaugh said.
"Voters will have to choose; if they vote in one primary, they disqualify themselves from the other," he said.
Bedenbaugh also said that it is important for voters to stay informed of all the candidates still officially in the presidential race before voting. He said that although each party's ballot was set in November, some candidates listed on the ballots have dropped out of the races; however, if one of those candidates is chosen by voters, the votes will still be counted.
"Every vote will be tallied," he said. "The vote will still count even if the candidate is no longer in the race."
For instance, the Republican presidential ballot still lists Colorado Congressman Tom Tancredo, who dropped out of the race last month.
Both deadlines for people to register to vote in the primaries passed last month; therefore, those who are not registered will not be qualified to participate in the primaries.
Bedenbaugh said the elections office has processed about 550 absentee ballots since the ballots opened up; however, he said he anticipates many more to come in after the results of the New Hampshire primaries tonight.
"It seems like people are waiting out to see what happens in New Hampshire since South Carolina (primary) is the next big race on the docket," Bedenbaugh said.
The deadline for South Carolina Republican absentee ballots is Jan. 18. Democratic absentee ballots must be received by Jan. 25. Voters may vote absentee in person until 5 p.m. on the day before the primary.
Bedenbaugh also reminds voters to bring identification with them to their designated precinct locations. Voters will be required to present their voter registration cards, their driver's license or a picture identification card issued by the Department of Motor Vehicles before voting.
