COLUMBIA, S.C. — With 10 Republicans competing for a spot in South Carolina’s special U.S. Senate primary, election officials are closely monitoring voter participation as the race enters its final days.
Special elections typically attract fewer voters than regularly scheduled contests, but early voting numbers are offering insight into voter engagement ahead of Tuesday’s primary.
According to the South Carolina Election Commission, turnout during the early voting period remained strong by special election standards and continued a trend of solid voter participation seen in recent elections.
More than 41,000 ballots were cast during the first two days of early voting, with Horry, Greenville, Lexington and Spartanburg counties leading the state in voter participation.
As primary day approaches, voters have been inundated with television advertisements, text messages and campaign mailers. Candidates have ramped up spending in the final stretch of the race, with many attacks aimed directly at their opponents.
“Republicans need to be careful. I still think it’s a long shot for a Democrat to win the U.S. Senate in South Carolina, but you don’t want to go into the general election having just pummeled each other so that the winner comes out with tons of negative baggage,” said Gibbs Knotts, a political science professor at Coastal Carolina University.
Experts say candidates increasingly rely on social media to communicate directly with voters, bypassing traditional media channels. However, researchers continue to study how effective those efforts are in influencing voter behavior.
“Social media is incredibly influential, and a lot of it is not true or is innuendo,” White said. “As researchers, we’re still trying to figure out what works and what doesn’t work.”
With early voting now complete, voters’ final opportunity to cast a ballot in the Republican special Senate primary will be Tuesday. Polls will be open from 7 a.m. until 7 p.m. across South Carolina.
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