Horry County elections office aiming to curb confusion ahead of GOP primary

HORRY COUNTY, SC (WMBF) - There are just a few days until South Carolina’s Republican presidential primary, and it’s all hands on deck to make sure things go smoothly.

South Carolina’s Democratic primary election ended in confusion a few weeks ago. Many voters said the newly combined precincts left them driving around for hours.

So this time around, Horry County Election Director Sandy Martin said they’re doing even more to help point you in the right direction.

“The county’s been doing some extra advertising for us, trying to get it out a little bit more,” Martin said. “It’s on all our websites. It’s on the state website. It’s everywhere we can put it at this point.”

Martin said the elections office has also added more signs at the old and new precincts to help direct you.

She also recommends voting early at one of three polling places.

Martin said many people are already taking advantage of the option, with more than 10,000 ballots cast.

She said that’s a huge difference compared to the little more than 1,000 people who voted early for the Democratic presidential primary.

She adds early voting is a great option for those who want to avoid the election day rush, and first-time early voters John Mahoney and Lynn Greco agree.

“Oh, it was awesome,” Mahoney said. “It was excellent. There are plenty of machines and a lot of volunteers. It couldn’t be any easier.”

“It was wonderful,” Greco said. “It was like we were in and out in three minutes. So very well done, professional, and smooth sailing.”

Early voting is closed Monday for Presidents’ Day but continues Tuesday through Thursday.

It’s also important to remember some candidates who have dropped out of the race will be on the ballot, but voting for them will not count.

South Carolina’s GOP primary takes place on Saturday.

You can double-check your polling place now by clicking here.

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