Why primary elections are so pivotal in South Carolina

COLUMBIA, S.C. (WRDW/WAGT) - Heading into November, a lot of focus is on the race for the White House.

But in South Carolina, the more pivotal election will be the June primaries in two weeks – with early voting opening Tuesday.

If you want a say in who makes the choices that affect South Carolinians’ day-to-day lives, the primary elections will very likely be your chance.

“Every voice matters,” said Lynn Teague of the League of Women Voters of South Carolina.

In South Carolina, the elections in which they matter most are the primaries.

“We are one of the least competitive states in the nation,” Teague said.

There are 170 total seats in the South Carolina General Assembly – all of which are up for election this year.

Analyses show as few as six of those 170 seats are in districts that are actually competitive – meaning a candidate from either party could feasibly win.

Similarly, just one of South Carolina’s seven U.S. House seats, the 1st Congressional District in the Lowcountry, is considered somewhat competitive – although it now favors Republicans more after the state’s latest redistricting cycle.

Teague says the overall lack of competitiveness is the result of both gerrymandering – and of some parts of the state simply favoring one party over another.

“In many ways, what it tells us that the primaries are wildly important in this state. … Day to day, those primary and local races are going to influence your lives much more than the general election of a presidential year,” Teague said.

But these are the races that also traditionally yield very low voter turnout.

“We’re often seeing a lot less than 20% of ed voters show up, and very often, those are our most angry and motivated voters,” Teague said. “If you’re wondering why the polling shows South Carolina’s people as a whole are more moderate than what happens at the State House, it’s because at the State House we see legislators responding to that base that votes in the primary.”

Teague also says these races don’t all have to be so uncompetitive.

“If we had really, really good turnout, all of these predictions could go out the window,” Teague said.

If you’re a ed voter in South Carolina, you’ve got a few options on how to cast your ballot for the primary.

You can vote in person – either on June 11 or during the state’s two-week, no-excuse early voting period – which just began.

Some people also have the option to vote by mail if they meet certain criteria, like being 65 and older or having a work obligation that prevents them from getting to the polls on election day or during early voting.

Those voters must request their ballots by this Friday.

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