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Even with the best planning, Election Day can still be nothing short of quiet chaos.
With the historic 2008 General Election just five days away, county election officials in The T&D Region are handling a record number of absentee ballot requests so voters can navigate the waters of the electoral process as smoothly as possible.
The South Carolina Election Commission says approximately 2,552,000 voters are eligible to cast ballots Tuesday, a record high in the state. Also, more than 218,000 absentee ballots have been issued throughout the state, surpassing the previous record of 169,000 absentee ballots issued before the 2004 General Election.
Howard Jackson, Orangeburg County Voter Registration director, says longer lines of people at his office waiting for absentee ballots have become commonplace.
"In order to handle the surge in voter registration earlier this month and the ongoing requests for absentee ballots, the county provided us with extra people from almost every other county department on a full- and part-time basis," Jackson said. "We also have about 30 college students that are performing clerical duties to help us out. Our office is committed to making certain that everyone who is eligible has an opportunity to vote in this election.
"We just ask that everyone please be patient because we are processing an unprecedented number of absentee ballots and ballot requests."
Jackson also encourages people to come to the Voter Registration Office in person, saying the wait will be 30-45 minutes. The Orangeburg County Council Chambers has been opened so people won't have to stand in line.
Some people have complained about not receiving their absentee ballots. Amara Ihekweazu of Orangeburg, who attends medical school at Boston University, said she has a proof of receipt that the Voter Registration Office received her ballot request on Oct. 22.
"I was told the absentee ballot had been mailed on Oct. 23," Ihekweazu said. "The state Election Commission told me that some county offices don't mail the ballots when they say they do because of the load of requests they receive."
Jackson said, "Right now, we are at the mercy of the mail. Due to the amount of work we are having to process, one mail label machine has malfunctioned. But even if any duplicate ballots get out, we are required to time and date stamp the returning ballots and check them against the voter rolls before recording them, so the second ballot is discarded. There's no possibility of absentee ballots being counted twice."
He added, "We are encouraging all elderly voters to request an absentee ballot because we don't want them to have to wait in line at the precincts on Nov. 4. We're also urging people who request absentee ballots to include the reason why (the list of reasons one can request an absentee ballot can be found at www.scvotes.org). That's because the applications for individuals that don't include the reason have to be verified by phone, which slows down the process considerably. Another way to speed things up is by making sure you have your voter registration card or driver's license with you when you come to the office."
Jackson said a little more than 6,000 requests for absentee ballots were processed through Wednesday afternoon. The total number of active registered voters in Orangeburg County as of Oct. 1 was 54,831. Also, there were more than 12,000 inactive voters who are still on the roles but haven't voted in several elections.
Calhoun County Voter Registration Director Tomasine Brice says her biggest concern is for individuals who registered to vote for the first time through the mail.
"Those that didn't provide a copy of their ID when registering by mail will have to present ID to the poll workers at their voting precinct," Brice said. "The acceptable forms include any photo ID, a current utility bill, bank statement, government check or pay check, along with their voter registration card."
In Calhoun County, the combined total of active and inactive voters is 11,528, with 9,769 of those being active, she said. Brice also notes that her office has processed more than 1,100 absentee ballot requests as of Wednesday morning and the number continues to grow.
Bamberg County Voter Registration Director Patti P. Jeffcoat said there has been no additional assistance for her office, which has already processed more than 700 absentee ballot requests.
"We won't have any precinct location changes this year," Jeffcoat said.
Jackson said there are three precinct location changes for voters in Wards Two, Four and Bowman Two.
"The Ward Two precinct will now be located at the Orangeburg County Chamber of Commerce rather than at the D. Holbrook Oliver Center for Disabled American Veterans on Andrew Dibble Street," Jackson said. "Ward Four, where both Claflin and South Carolina State University students will vote, will be located at the Smith-Hammond-Middleton Memorial Center on the SCSU campus, and Bowman Two will be at the old Bowman Elementary School on Poplar Street."
"Anyone affected by these precinct changes will be issued new voter registration cards," he added. "Those are already in the process of being mailed out."
Brice says there are also two precinct changes in Calhoun County for this year.
"Voters in the Lone Star precinct will go to Fire Station No. 6 at 650 Weeks Landing Road," she said. "The St. Matthews precinct will now be located at the Calhoun County Museum on Butler Street."
People requesting absentee ballots by mail must return their applications by 5 p.m. this Friday, Oct. 31. The final deadline to return an absentee ballot is 7 p.m. on Election Day, Tuesday, Nov. 4. Finally, the deadline to vote absentee in person at county registration offices is 5 p.m. on Monday, Nov. 3.
T&D Staff Writer Phil Sarata can be reached by e-mail at psarata@timesanddemocrat.com or by phone at 803-533-5540.