CONWAY, SC (WBTW) – Horry County is getting ready for the “first in the South” primary.
On Saturday, Feb. 29, Democratic Presidential candidates will be hoping for an important win in South Carolina’s primary. The Palmetto State has a more diverse electorate than some other early states like Iowa and New Hampshire. It’s also the last primary before Super Tuesday.
Horry County’s voter registration and elections department is getting ready for the big vote.
“Our primary is just like the primary that we have in June,” said director Sandy Martin. “All our precincts will be open. You go to vote just like you normally do. You show your ID.”
South Carolina has an open primary, so anyone registered to vote can take part. Only the Democratic party is holding a primary, since the state’s Republican party chose not to hold one.
The state switched to a new paper-based voting system last year, which Martin says won’t cause the same problems seen during last week’s Iowa caucuses.
“Our poll workers bring the election material back to us, we actually do election night central here and read in the results,” she said. “There’s no app to have issues with.”
More people moving to Horry County means more voters. Martin says at least 240,000 people are registered to vote.
That’s up from about 206,000 in the 2016 election.
“We always get a big influx right before a general election, so it’s a weekly thing for us,” Martin said.
Horry County is also looking for poll managers, who are paid to help voters on primary and election days. You can go on the Horry County website if you’re interested in being a poll manager.
You can also go to SCVotes.org to see other voting information, including where your precinct is located.
Count on News13 for the latest updates in SC’s upcoming primary race and the 2020 presidential election.
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