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Thousands have already voted in general election
Photo by Sefton Ipock
Tony Norris, left, and Russell Baker wait in line outside of the Anderson County Registration and Elections Office to vote early on Saturday.
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As if anyone could forget, there is an election Tuesday.
Actually for about 18,000 of the approximately 200,000 registered voters in Anderson, Pickens and Oconee counties there will be no need to go to the polls.
Those voters have already cast their ballots, part of a nearly 25-percent surge in early absentee voting compared to the 2004 general election, according to the State Election Commission.
Anderson County has seen nearly 8,000 absentee voters, according to Katy Smith, Anderson County registration and elections director.
Joy Brooks, Oconee County registration and elections director, said she expects to see over 6,000 absentee ballots, about three times the number Oconee County usually has.
Staff members of the Pickens County election and registration office last week estimated the number of absentee voters at about 4,000.
State election officials expect that voting among South Carolina’s 2.5 million registered voters could top 80 percent this election year, a sharp increase over the 70 percent of the state’s 2.3 million registered voters for the 2004 general election.
Election officials and political pundits explained the surge in early voting and expected record turnout as due to the showdown at the top of the ballot.
Presidential contenders Republican Sen. John McCain and Democrat Sen. Barack Obama are seen as participating in a pivotal and historic election that national polls have listed in a statistical dead heat heading into the finish.
In addition to the national elections for president and members of Congress, Anderson County voters will choose a sheriff, a state senator and decide whether they want a 1-cent sales tax for 124 proposed infrastructure projects.
In Oconee County, voters will go to the polls to choose two members of county council, a county treasurer, two members of the school board and a state senator for Senate District 1.
Pickens County voters will select a county council member, a sheriff, two school board members, and a state representative. In addition, Sen. Larry Martin, R-Pickens, faces a late write-in candidate.
Voters in the city of Clemson will also cast votes for mayor and three members of the city council. However, only incumbent mayor Larry Abernathy is on the ballot for mayor, along with three candidates for the three seats up for election.
There are uncontested positions in all counties.
The deadline for applying for an absentee ballot expired at 5 p.m. on Oct. 31, but voters can cast an absentee ballot in person until 5 p.m. on Nov. 3.
Absentee ballots returned by mail must be mailed by 7 p.m. on Nov. 4.
Polls will open at 7 a.m. Tuesday and remain open until 7 p.m.
The National Weather Service has forecast sunny skies with temperatures in the mid-60s F for Election Day.
The Associated Press contributed to this report
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There will be lines. This may be the first time you have to wait. But please stick it out.
McCain-Palin
Bryant
Bowen
Graham
Barrett
Skipper
Anderson
Sales Tax Hike - NO
Obama-Biden
Obama-Biden
Obama-Biden
The comeback kid just won this election.
in response to andersonnews2008
for some --
Senate---
Billy Odell!!!!
for house -
Mike Gambrell
I'm just going to say exercise your freedom and vote. Don't whine or complain about the results if you don't.
I will cast my vote and if my choice doesn't win, so be it. I'm praying for the best person to turn this country around and it may not be my candidate.
VOTE! VOTE! VOTE!
SC needs eary voting without having to have a reason.
Read the list of projects for the Capital Projects Sales Tax. Belton, Honea Path and Pendleton have 8 non-road projects among the first to be done. They also had 3 of the 6 commissioners. The bulk of the road projects come at the end of the list.
Vote No.
Twas the night before elections
And all through the town
Tempers were flaring
Emotions all up and down!
When all of a sudden
There arose such a noise
I peered out of my window
Saw Obama and his boys
They had come for my wallet
They wanted my pay
To give to the others
Who had not worked a day!
He snatched up my money
And quick as a wink
Jumped back on his bandwagon
Before I had time to think
He then rallied his henchmen
Who were pulling his cart
I could tell they were out
To tear my country apart!
On Fannie, on Freddie,
On Biden and Ayers!
On Acorn, On Pelosi'
He screamed at the pairs!
They took off for his cause
And as he flew out of sight
I heard him laugh at the nation
Who wouldn't stand up and fight!
So I leave you to think
On this one final note-
IF YOU DONT WANT SOCIALISM
GET OUT AND VOTE!!!!
The guy who reviews these comments and tries to "ban" people is a joke.
in response to tdonsin
The comment has been removed for violating the terms of our user-contributions policy and the user account has been quarantined. All further posts from this account will be manually screened until such time as a user is deemed trustworthy. The user account and all posts associated with it will be eliminated if improper comments continue."
LAUGHING OUT LOUD:
That was awesome!! AMEN!! :)
IN SEARCH OF TRUTHS:
I totally agree with you!
in response to In_Search_Of_Truths
So, you are saying that the whites that are not voting for Obama because he is a black man are ignorant also. I am a black woman voting for Obama because he is the most qualified for the job and you can not see that then you are mistaken!
in response to In_Search_Of_Truths
Likewise a record turnout by white voters not wanting a Black President with no regard to issues.
I wonder what the two young guys sitting in the chairs are doing there. You have to have legit reasons to vote early in SC.
I find it amazing that Democrats have to give their voters stuff to get them to vote. It's actually pathetic. Be American, vote because it is your right. Not for a hotdog or a bottle of liquor.
I'm thinking of voting mid- morning/afternoon to let those that might miss work do so early or late. Might be a good idea. :-)
There are some hateful bloggers here, no wonder people are in the shape they are in. A lot of times it isn't the leaders that cause our problems, it's SELF! "Whatsoever a man soweth, he shall also reap it".
in response to yankeefann
What does a hotdog have to do with the election? Maybe those two young guys are college students and are on the way back to college. We do go to college, by the way.
Can anyone state what the reasons and qualifications for voting early are? It seems hard to believe that all of these people are out of town on Tuesday...there must be more to it?
in response to andersonnews2008
I agree 100%!!!
in response to tdonsin
GO OBAMA AND BIDEN
Please . . .
McCain-Palin
Meadors
Dobbins
Graham
Barrett
Skipper
Anderson
CPST - YES
Don't forget you can write-in individuals for any office, except for the President. I know I'm not voting for Rip van Waldrep.
- SSHM
in response to Laughing_Out_Loud
quote: "Can anyone state what the reasons and qualifications for voting early are? It seems hard to believe that all of these people are out of town on Tuesday...there must be more to it?"
The reasons are laid out pretty clearly, and are perhaps purposely vague so as to encourage more people to vote without being hindered.
The tone of some of these posts suggests that there are those who resent the fact that people are actually voting.
At any rate - from the SC election commission - the requirements for absentee voting:
****************
Any registered voter who, for any of the following reasons, is eligible to vote an in person absentee ballot, on the voting machines:
Students, their spouses and dependents residing with them
Members of the Armed Forces, Merchant Marines, Red Cross, USO, government employees, their spouses and dependents residing with them
Overseas citizens
For reasons of employment will not be able to vote on election day
Physically disabled persons
Persons on vacation
Persons age 65 or older
Persons admitted to the hospital as emergency patients on day of election or at least four days prior to the election
Electors with a death or funeral in the family within 3 days before the election
Persons confined to a jail or pre-trial facility pending disposition of arrest or trial
Persons attending sick or physically disabled persons
Persons serving as jurors in a state or federal court on election day
Certified poll watchers and poll managers
******************
in response to use_common_decency
Thanks for the info.
I think there is a concern about "why" people are voting not "if".
But if you are supporting a candidate because you think he supports freedom and democracy, then you also have to accept and embrace the idea of anyone and everyone voting their conscience...no matter where that takes them.
I may end up not hating the result...but I respect the effort.
I've wondered about this early voting stuff myself. I was aware that one could vote by absentee ballot, but I have never seen "early voting" like this. I can't help but think that they are all there to vote for Obama. One reason is because the video of those voters I've seen are mostly black people. I'm not trying to be racist here, but obvious is obvious. And why are most of the people that need to vote early, black? Where will they be tomorrow which would keep them from voting? Same goes for the increased number of white people that are voting early.
I beleive that a good question to ask here would be, how many black people reading this will be voting for McCain? My guess is Zero. Although I could be surprised. I mean, if we are actually voting on the issues, then there has to be black people in Anderson that feel McCain is the most qualified. Surely not all black people have the same political views.
I myself would like to see a black president in my lifetime. I beleive that it would be a positive milestone for our country. Unfortunately, Obama is not the black man that I would want as the leader of this country.
"I may end up not hating the result...but I respect the effort"
I meant to say that even if I don't like the results...I respect the effort of anyone who votes.
Obama's pastor damned America from the pulpit. Any question about Obama's qualifications, should have stopped there.
I’m not a smoker, and I don’t sell cigarettes, but I oppose Marshall Meadors’ plan to raise taxes on smokers.
Meadors is campaigning on higher cigarette taxes. During the debates, he said “We are the laughing stock of the rest of the country because our cigarette tax is at 7 cents,” according to the newspaper. Only a extremely far-left, Obama Democrat would think that having the lowest taxes in the country makes South Carolina a punchline.
His justification for raising taxes is to pay for government-funded health insurance, sort of like Hillary-Care in the 90s, and to reduce the teen smoking rate.
The news report did not state how high Meadors wants to raise taxes, and his website fails to name a specific amount, only to state that it will be high enough to “significantly” offset the cost of universal health insurance.
Regarding insurance, Meadors states on his website that many people “simply choose not to have insurance,” so they go without. Therefore, Meadors wants to raise taxes on one group of people (smokers) to pay for health insurance for another group of people (those who choose not to have insurance), just like Obama's redistribution of wealth plan.
Regarding the teen smoking rate, 25 percent of SC teens smoke, compared to 20 percent nationwide, according to 2006 information from the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids. The national cigarette tax average is 14 times higher than South Carolina’s, according to the Federation of Tax Administrators, yet the teen smoking rate is just five percent less.
So one question is how high will Meadors have to raise taxes to start to cut into the teen smoking rate?
Never mind the fact that teenage smoking is already against the law, the price of cigarettes will have to be at least high enough to overprice cigarettes for the poorest of smokers in the state. New York had the 16th highest tax at $1.50. But as of this year, NY now has the highest in the country at $2.75, because the 16th highest amount wasn’t high enough to give them the results they wanted.
Meadors’ plan is misguided at best. If he continues to campaign on punishing some adults to pay for others’ health insurance (sharing-the-wealth) and to discourage other people’s teenagers from smoking illegally, then I challenge him to make a pledge.
Meadors should pledge to put every cent of his tax increase into smoking cessation, not health insurance, and small business improvement grants, since it’s the mom-and-pop businesses that will suffer the most.
He should also pledge not to raise any other taxes to pay for his socialized health care, because as his own website states, his cigarette tax increase will not be enough to pay for it. So it has to come from somewhere.
Which activity will Meadors want to tax next?
Posting this one for a friend:
After hearing Obama’s plans for Joe the Plumber, I, Mark the Painter, will vote McCain-Palin.
When giving painting estimates, I’m not thinking of Obama’s most liberal record in Congress, his denial of emergency assistance to abortion survivors, his plans to take my guns, or the fact that he has failed to stop the skyrocketing murder rate in his own city.
When I’m mixing paint, I’m not analyzing Obama’s strategy to meet unconditionally with our enemies, his opposition to missile defense systems, the surge, and defending Israel, or his push to give illegal aliens, like the 9/11 terrorists, drivers’ licenses.
When I’m on top of a ladder, I’m not thinking about the favors and guidance that Obama has received from people like terrorist Bill Ayers, convicted felon and real estate partner Tony Rezko, communist mentor Frank Davis, or Fannie Mae CEO and financial advisor Frank Raines.
Instead, I think of Obama’s 96 votes he cast, raising taxes on working people, his plan to double the capital gains tax and increase the estate tax, his elimination of the Bush tax cuts and FICA caps, the new taxes he will place on gas and energy, and most importantly, his desire to over tax job providers, thus leading to job cuts and higher prices, on the backs of Joe the Plumber and Mark the Painter.
Obama campaigns on hope and change. I just hope that McCain wins so we can have more dollars, and less change.
in response to LoftisPC
quote: "I myself would like to see a black president in my lifetime. I beleive that it would be a positive milestone for our country. Unfortunately, Obama is not the black man that I would want as the leader of this country."
That's fine, I understand.
But I'm thinking, strike while the iron is hot.
in response to Laughing_Out_Loud
That is just way too funny!!! LMAO
I, Tawana the accountant, will be voting for Obama at 3:00pm. It is time for a change!
I cast my vote at 7:25am, I stood in line for 25 minutes, polling folks were super and the people waiting in line were patient and friendly. So refreshing!
VOTE! VOTE! VOTE!
I just cast my vote and it was NOT for NObama!!!!
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