SPARTANBURG, S.C. (WSPA) – Spartanburg county election officials are seeing more ballots cast, compared to the 2020 election.
According to John Baucom, Spartanburg County’s Director of Registration and Elections, about a fifth of eligible voters in the county have already cast their ballots in the 2024 presidential election.
With a 100% turnout rate, approximately 236,000 ballots would need to be cast. Baucom said the county is on pace to hit more than 80,000 early ballots cast.
For perspective, in 2020 there were about 64,000 early ballots cast according to Baucom.
Baucom credited the high early voting turnout rate to the State of South Carolina allowing early-in-person voting to Act 150, which was passed in 2022, allowing people to vote early without giving a specific reason they couldn’t vote on election day.
Baucom said at the Spartanburg County Administrative Building polling location, his team is processing almost 300 ballots an hour.
“The lines look really scary especially at this building, but the lines are moving very quickly,” said Baucom. “We have a lot of equipment out at our early voting sites, a lot of workers at our early voting sites.”
However, that’s not the case eveywhere.
“Some of our library satellite early-voting site, they have less equipment because they have less space therefore they also have less workers,” said Baucom.
Despite the assumption and reality of long lines, some voters say they’re coming out to vote early.
“If you want to see change, then you have to vote,” said Caroline Robinson, 18, of Spartanburg County. Robinson is a first-time voter and described her experience as “good”.
For Leon Russ of Spartanburg County, the wait wasn’t as long as he imagined.
“I figured the lines would be very long on election day and then my wife was here and she says it only took 20 minutes,” said Russ.
Louis Tibbs came out to vote early as well, telling 7NEWS he’s been voting early for years and encourages others to do so as well.
“You never know what’s gonna come up and just like if you wait till the election day, everybody cramming in and the lines gonna be long and you’ll be frustrated,” said Tibbs. “People will be complaining.”
Baucom emphasized that early voting will run from 8:30 a.m. until 6 p.m. until Saturday Nov. 2, and for early voting only, you can visit any polling location; however, on election day, you must report to your specific precinct to vote.
To check your polling location, click here.
Baucom mentioned there are three specific changes in polling location in Spartanburg County from the June primaries.
Voters who went to the Cross Anchor Fire Station in June are now assigned to the Trinity Fire Hobbysville Station.
Voters who went to Pacolet Elementary School in June are now assigned to the Benjamin E. Mays Family Resource Center.
Voters who went to Wade Hampton and Victor Mill in the East Greer communities are now assigned to New Jersulame Baptist Church.
