A voting rights forum in Columbia on Oct. 14 offered tips on voting and ways to improve South Carolina’s elections.

A little preparation can help, election experts advised at the forum hosted by the South Carolina Progressive Network at St. John Baptist Church.

The experts suggested that voters check out their precinct location before the Nov. 4 elections, review a sample ballot prior to going to the polls, visit the S.C. Election Commission web site and see a demonstration of electronic voting.

Meredith Bell-Platts, staff counsel for the American Civil Liberties Union’s voting rights project, said voters should not to be afraid to seek help on Election Day. “If you see something you don’t like, call an [elections] worker,” she said.

The biggest problem pointed out during the forum is that too many people don’t vote.
South Carolina has one of the lowest voter turnout rates in the nation.

In 2004, less than half of the state’s voting-age population cast a ballot in the presidential election, ranking South Carolina 42nd. In 2006, only about 35 percent of eligible voters showed up at the polls.

“They don’t think it will make any difference,” said Brett Bursey, director of the Progressive Network.

But voting does make a difference. And for all of the shortcomings of efforts to improve elections and turnout, democracy advocates can take some satisfaction in a surge in registration in South Carolina. The number of registered voters in the state has increased by 240,000 this year and now stands at 2.5 million.

One problem that could create havoc in the upcoming elections is a lack of emergency ballots in case machines go on the blink.

In an Oct. 16 report, three public policy groups said South Carolina is among the 10 states least prepared for voting machine failures and other potential problems on Election Day.

But South Carolina law does not require voting precincts to have emergency ballots available to voters in the event of voting machine failures, as happened in Horry County in the primary elections in June.

Another issue for voters is having proper identification and being knowledgeable about their eligibility to vote.

Many who have a criminal record think they have lost their right to vote forever, but most are qualified to register after fulfilling their probation or parole terms.

The ACLU recently released the results of a survey of county elections workers in South Carolina that revealed widespread misunderstanding of the laws governing the right to vote for people with criminal records.

“Nearly 1,500 South Carolinians every month complete their sentences, regain their right to vote but generally do not know it,” said Laleh Ispahani, senior policy counsel with the ACLU’s racial justice program.

Bursey questioned why the state does not allow people to register during the 30 days before an election. “We don’t need 30 days,” he said. “It’s just something that’s part of the voting history in the state that lawmakers are reluctant to change.”

Many states allow voters to register on Election Day, resulting in greater participation.

Several audience members expressed concerns about problems with the voting precinct serving Benedict College. They said it has experienced problems in past elections, with many students wanting to vote but problems arising when they try to meet residency and identification requirements.

Students are urged to bring a driver’s license and other identification records to satisfy questions at the polls.

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