SC Democratic Primary: Voters headed to the polls in Greenville, Spartanburg, Anderson

President Joe Biden is hoping for a record turnout of voters in today's Democratic Primary.

Will Black voters give Biden a boost in his campaign like they did in 2020?

Or will Democrats stay home today to vote in the Republican Primary on Feb. 24 to support presidential candidate Nikki Haley to upset former President Trump's expected win in South Carolina?

Follow this blog throughout the day for live updates from polling locations in Greenville, Spartanburg and Anderson counties by our Greenville News, Anderson Independent Mail and Herald-Journal reporters and photographers. We also have reporters with the Bluffton Today, Hampton County Guardian and Jasper Sun-Times who will also be covering primary results. We will also update with reports from USA Today reporters who are stationed throughout South Carolina.

10:40 — Greenville Senior High School

It was a slow morning as well at Greenville Senior High School, but a few voters were trickling in to cast their votes.Jane and Tom Skillicorn voted for President Joe Biden as well, saying that there were not many selections as only two other candidates were on the ballot, but they “like their selection.”“He’s worked really hard and tried really hard,” Jane Skillicorn said — as Tom echoed his belief that “he hasn’t gotten a lot of credit for what he’s done.”“Who was president when the immigration problem really started?,” Tom added.Their main concern? Ensuring democracy in the future, referring to a quote from former President Donald Trump who said he would be a dictator “only on day one.”Henry Dirton Jr., 75, said his voting experience was “easy” as he voted for Biden.

Savannah Moss, Greenville News

9:10 a.m. at Augusta Circle Elementary, Greenville

So far at Augusta Circle Elementary, they’ve had three voters. It’s a quiet morning at the school. Roy Gullyck, 71, said he voted for President Joe Biden as he wasn’t familiar with the other candidates and believed Biden is doing a “pretty decent job.”“He’s also not, in my opinion, the reason we’re in the state that we’re in. He cannot control everything.”

Savannah Moss, Greenville News

7:30 a.m. at C.C. Woodson Community Center, Spartanburg

Voting was light at C.C. Woodson Community Center this morning aside from two voters.

According to the center's clerk Marilyn Parks, "I predict it to be very slow and steady because this is the presidential primary. Usually in the primaries, we don't have many voters come out. A lot of them have the mentality that primaries don't count, but what we're trying to instill now is that this is where it all starts ― with the primary. Then it goes up to the to legislators, to senators, to mayors."

Parks, 71, is in her sixth year working at the polls. She is from the Southside area of Spartanburg. She started as a poll worker, working her way into the poll manager position and her role as clerk today. As clerk, Parks oversees poll managers and ensures all primary voting is carried out correctly.

Her grandfather was an active NAACP member who was always supportive of people of color, she said.

"We've got to be treated fairly. The only way you can be treated fairly is if you go out and voice your opinion. The only way you can voice it is to go out and vote," she said.

By working the polls, Parks hopes to help her community understand the government, the democratic process, and the right to vote.

"The primaries are important ― just as important as the presidential. So people need to realize you have to start from the bottom together. The president cannot make decisions unless the bottom people agree with the majority. And then it goes up like a domino effect. But I feel like the heart of the problem is with the primary election."

Nina Tran, Greenville News

Biden looks for big win in SC’s Democratic primary

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — President Joe Biden is looking for an easy win in South Carolina’s Democratic primary that officially kicks off his party’s nominating process on Saturday, validating a new lineup he championed to better empower Black voters who helped revive his once-foundering 2020 campaign.

Biden is overwhelmingly favored against Minnesota Rep. Dean Phillips and self-help author Marianne Williamson. Yet the long and sometimes contentious process that saw the Democratic National Committee officially replace Iowa with South Carolina in its presidential primary’s leadoff spot has made what’s unfolding noteworthy.

The GOP’s South Carolina primary won’t be held until Feb. 24.

Arguing that voters of color should play a larger role in determining the Democratic presidential nominee, Biden championed a calendar beginning in South Carolina. The state is reliably Republican, but 26% of its residents are Black.

“South Carolina, you are the first primary in the nation and President Biden and I are counting on you,” Harris said Friday during a campaign stop at historically Black South Carolina State in Orangeburg, after the president and first lady Jill Biden had also recently campaigned in the state.

In the 2020 general election, Black voters made up 11% of the national electorate, and 9 in 10 of them supported Biden, according to AP VoteCast, an expansive survey of that election’s voters.

This is an excerpt of a story by the Associated Press. To read more, clickhere

Support of SC Black voters symbolically important to Biden

CHARLESTON, S.C. (AP) — The Democrats’ first primary of the 2024 presidential contest contains little mystery. South Carolina propelled President Joe Biden to the Democratic nomination four years ago and he faces only token opposition when voting concludes Saturday.

What’s at stake for Biden is the depth of support he receives from Black voters. They made up half the party’s primary electorate in the state in 2020 and gave him a resounding victory, a win he rewarded by moving South Carolina to the front of the party’s nominating process. In the general election, Biden was backed by 91% of Black voters nationwide, according to AP VoteCast.

Whether he enjoys a similar level of support this year has implications far beyond South Carolina.

His approval rating among Black adults is 42% in the latest Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research poll, a substantial drop from the first year of his presidency. That’s a potentially troubling sign as he prepares for a rematch against former President Donald Trump, the GOP front-runner.

Biden will need to energize Black voters in the key swing states of Georgia, Michigan, Wisconsin and Pennsylvania. Continue here.

This is an excerpt from a full story bythe Associated Press.

Polls open at 7 a.m.

To find polling locations in Greenville, Spartanburg and Anderson counties, or to check your sample ballot, visit scVOTES.sc.gov. or contact your county elections office.

Voting in SC's Democratic primary Saturday?

All eyes will be on South Carolina as it holds the first Democratic primary on Saturday, Feb. 3.

President Joe Biden hopes history will repeat itself in his favor. In 2020, he had disappointing finishes in Iowa and New Hampshire.

After a strong endorsement from U.S. Congressman Jim Clyburn, South Carolina's only Black representative, Biden's campaign gained popularity among South Carolina's Black voters. He won the state's primary.

He now looks to South Carolina again for its racially diverse electorate instead of New Hampshire and Iowa, the first-in-the-nation states with large white populations.

Per Biden's request, the Democratic National Committee slotted South Carolina as the first contest of the campaign season, a change from the 2024 primary calendar.

Here's what you need to know if you plan to vote this weekend: Continue here.

This is an excerpt from a full story by reporter Nina Tran.

SC voter registration guide: How to check registration, early voting, what to know

Who's on the ballot? When are the South Carolina primaries for Democrats and Republicans?

SC Democrats weigh crossing party lines in upcoming primary

South Carolina voters are set to cast their ballots in the first presidential primary in the nation this month, starting with the Democratic primary on Saturday. But with former President Donald Trump on the ballot once again as a Republican candidate, some voters are considering crossing party lines to disrupt his chances for the GOP nomination.

The state is the first to vote in an official Democratic presidential primary after a decision from the Democratic National Committee at the president’s request. The request was made to allow states with more diversity among voters to go earlier in the primary schedule as the Iowa caucuses and New Hampshire primaries kicked off presidential races in the past.

Because the state holds open primaries, voters can choose to vote in either the Democratic primary on Saturday, Feb. 3 or in the Republican primary at the end of the month on Feb. 24. However, voters cannot vote in both primaries. Along with incumbent President Joe Biden, House Rep. Dean Phillips (D-Minn.) and former 2020 candidate, author Marianne Williamson will be on the Democratic ballot Saturday.

But for some in the state, skipping Saturday's Democratic vote and casting a ballot in the Republican primary represents a chance to weaken Trump’s performance, who is currently the frontrunner for the Republican nomination. On the other hand, higher voter turnout for the Democratic primary could show the state’s support for the Democratic president in a ruby-red state.

This is an excerpt from a full story by Savannah Moss.Continue here.

Biden leads Democrats ahead of South Carolina primaries

Polls ahead of South Carolina’s presidential primaries indicate another likely faceoff between former President Donald Trump and incumbent President Joe Biden.

An early January poll from Emerson College showed that more than 54% of surveyed South Carolinians planning to vote in the Republican primary favor Trump, while only 25% plan to vote for former Gov. Nikki Haley.

Only 30% of those surveyed said they plan to vote in the Democratic primary. Of those, more than 69% plan to vote for Biden. House Rep. Dean Phillips (D-Minn.) gathered about 5% of intended votes, while 3% plan to vote for author Marianne Williamson, who also ran in 2020's presidential election.

This is an excerpt from a full story by Sarah Swetlik. Continue here.

This article originally appeared on Herald-Journal: South Carolina Democratic Primary: Voters headed to the polls today