Absentee voting begins in Sumter for June primaries

Poll workers needed to fill gap left by older volunteers staying home amid pandemic

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All our coronavirus coverage is free to the public. It’s the right thing to do as a public service to our community. If you find this article helpful or informative and want to support our continued coverage, please support us with a tax-deductible donation. To find all our coronavirus coverage, including helpful local resources and website links, click here. --- With parts of the state reopening and important dates for democracy coming up, South Carolina's June 9 primary is going on as scheduled. Absentee voting opened Monday in Sumter for a handful of Democratic and Republican races at the local, state and national level. Some state leaders had asked the governor to postpone the primary or change state law to allow no-question absentee voting because of the COVID-19 pandemic, but the plans are moving forward as is. There are still 18 ways to be eligible to vote absentee - South Carolina does not have early voting. Among other reasons, anyone aged 65 years or older can vote absentee in person. The elderly are some of the most vulnerable to the coronavirus, a highly contagious respiratory illness that can cause complications such as pneumonia. Pat Jefferson, director of Sumter County Voter Registration and Elections, said precautions are being implemented to help protect her office staff, voters and eventually poll workers from spreading the virus. You can vote in the office at the old courthouse downtown or curbside. Doors are locked, and voters are asked to call a number posted outside to let staff know you're there. They will then come out and open the door, Jefferson said. Voters are asked to bring their own pens, though a pen will be provided if you don't have one. Wear a mask if you have one. Staff members are wearing gloves and masks, and there are protective shields and disinfectant spray. Jefferson said to have your photo ID ready and to tell them your reason for eligibility. You will then be given a ballot to fill out. She said staff is cleaning the area after everyone leaves, and everyone will be asked to stand 6 feet away from each other. In South Carolina, you do not have to declare a party. However, you can only vote in one party's primary, and you will be asked when you arrive what ballot you want. There are sample ballots available to look at before choosing what party you want to vote in. Any potential runoffs will be on June 23 for races where there are more than two candidates and no candidate receives 50% of the votes plus one vote. Jefferson said poll workers are needed to volunteer on June 9. "We lost quite a few because most are seniors and have some health issues, so they won't be working with us this time," she said. She said the state has supplied county voter registration offices with gloves and masks, as well as disinfectant spray and social distancing signs. June 9's primary includes candidates ranging from Sumter County Council and the county's coroner to U.S. congressional seats. To find your polling location based on your address, go to www.scvotes.org. One polling change has been made in Sumter County: the Mulberry precinct will now be voting at the North HOPE Center, 904 N. Main St.

Filing for nonpartisan races, which includes Sumter City Council, mayor and Sumter's school board, will open on July 15 at noon. Those races do not have primaries and will be on the ballot in November.

Vote absentee in person at the county voter registration office at 141 N. Main St. between 8:30 a.m. and 5 p.m. Monday through Friday.

For information about the candidates running in Sumter, Clarendon and Lee counties, go to www.theitem.com/election2020.