Sumter residents head to the polls across county

As polls closed on the 2022 general midterm elections Tuesday, Sumter saw steady turnout throughout the day.

A handful of local seats were being contested, including all nine Sumter school board seats, one Sumter City Council seat and two Clarendon County Council seats in addition to state and national seats that affect Sumter, Clarendon and Lee counties.

Voter turnout as of about 4:45 p.m. Tuesday was up to a little more than 25,000 in Sumter, according to Patricia Jefferson, director of voting and registration for Sumter County.

She projected turnout to reach above 40% and hoped for all votes to be tallied and recorded before Tuesday turned to Wednesday.

Voters took advantage of the different ways they could vote this year, including curbside, which was available at every precinct.

"It helps those who can't get out like they used to," said Debbie Grooms, who voted at the Sumter Career and Technology Center on Tuesday.

Grooms' parents were in the car when they cast their ballots.

"They were determined to vote," Grooms said.

Stewart Lane, a 95-year-old World War II veteran, voted at Wilson Hall. When asked about the changes in voting throughout his lifetime, he talked about it going from hand-submitting ballots to machines.

"It's been automated, which is good, and it's faster," he said.

Jefferson and her staff began work Tuesday at 5:30 a.m. Polls were open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.

The Sumter Item will update results during the night as results become available. Visit www.theitem.com, specifically www.theitem.com/election2022, for coverage on results, including comments from winners, that can be found now. Coverage and tallies will be published in Thursday's paper.