Legislators and civic groups to call for adequate paper ballots for Democratic Primary
Legislators and civic organizations will hold a press conference on Wednesday, Jan. 23, at 1pm in the State House lobby to urge all county election commissions to have adequate emergency paper ballots for Saturday’s Democratic presidential primary.
Sen. Phil Leventis (D-Sumter), in a Jan. 7 press release, urged the use of paper ballots in the presidential primaries. “The problems with the Horry County electronic voting machines last Saturday illustrate why we need a paper-based voting system,” Leventis said. “Our state’s reliance on computer-based voting, with no adequate paper backup, is undermining our citizens’ confidence in our elections.”
According to the Myrtle Beach Sun News, “As many as 90 percent of the electronic voting machines in Horry County did not work correctly when polls opened in Saturday morning’s Republican primary. Most were up and running by noon,” county spokeswoman Lisa Bourcier said, “and the last were fixed by 5:30 PM”
“The problems with the electronic voting machines aside, the supposed safety net of emergency paper ballots failed,” said said SC Progressive Network Director Brett Bursey.
State law requires that each precinct have emergency paper ballots for 10 percent of its registered voters. In Horry County’s Republican presidential primary, emergency paper ballots were distributed prior to the polls opening, but County Election Director Sandy Martin said that they gave only 50 ballots to the smaller precincts and 100 to the larger ones, retaining the balance in the office. Fifty-one precincts required more than 100 emergency ballots to meet the law’s requirements, with 10 precincts needing more than 200 and two precincts requiring more than 300.
Voters were turned away from many precincts that had run out of emergency paper ballots. “Under no circumstances should an eligible voter be turner away from a voting place without being given the opportunity to vote,” said Chris Whitmire, spokesperson for the State Election Commission. Any piece of paper can be used in an emergency, said Whitmire, “even paper towels.”