Early returns are encouraging. Mike Cinnamon, executive director of the Richland County election commission, said there were long lines of absentee voters Friday. Cinnamon said there were about 700 Republican absentee votes and at least twice that in Democratic votes.
The State Election Commission has issued more Democratic absentee ballots than Republican, a reversal of typical elections.
Last week ”” in ice, rain and cold ”” Republican turnout dipped about 22 percent from the all-time high in 2000. About 445,000 voted in last Saturday’s Republican primary.
Few think that many Democrats will turn out, but the three candidates, Clinton, Obama and former North Carolina U.S. Sen. John Edwards, have drawn larger crowds this week than most Republican rallies.
“Some of those people are going to vote in the Democratic primary,” Obama supporter former Gov. Jim Hodges said of those who did not vote Republican. “We’ve got three good candidates.”
Voters are allowed to vote in either the Republican or Democratic primary, but not both.
Despite the trend of high turnout, University of Virginia political scientist Larry Sabato said it does not foreshadow a Democratic win in November. Democrats turned out in 1980 and 1988 primaries, Sabato said, only to see Republicans win the presidency.
Democrats have had a difficult time winning Southern states, with Bill Clinton the last candidate to claim Southern electoral votes in 1996.
“This has been happening all over the country,” Sabato said. “It doesn’t necessarily mean anything … it’s a good sign Democrats are engaged.”
Can someone explain to me why South Carolina has the party primaries on different days? Seems like a lot of extra effort and expense.
I guess this makes it easier for people to vote in both primaries.