Voter Registration Day is Tuesday; are you registered and do you know rules to vote?
Prepare for your vote
National Voter Registration Day is Sept. 20.
Citizens must be registered to vote to take part in the Nov. 8 General Election, and must be certain their information is correct, especially if an address or name change occurs. Be sure to have an acceptable photo ID when registering..
The last day to register to vote in person is Oct. 7; online or by fax, Oct. 9; by mail, postmarked Oct. 10 or earlier.
Early voting at your county voter registration and elections office begins Oct. 24.
To vote by mail, know how to get and return a ballot.
To vote in person on Election Day, know where your precinct is.
South Carolina has more than 3 million registered voters, but only 17% voted in the 2022 primaries. One reason people do not vote is they feel uninformed about the candidates and issues. VOTE411.ORG allows everyone to enter their address and see who their candidates are and what referenda will be on their ballot.
Invite family and friends to register. Be informed to participate in democracy by voting in the General Election on Nov. 8.
Every vote matters.
Elizabeth Sumner Jones, Columbia
SC League of Women Voters
Allow voters to speak
Why don’t our legislators allow the citizens of this state to vote on abortion?
Based on discussions with friends and acquaintances, and letters to the editor, I know there are many divergent opinions concerning this topic.
One legislator for many people cannot possibly represent each point of view.
Why not craft a question for all voters to respond to in the General Election instead of this knee-jerk reaction to the Supreme Court’s ruling regarding Roe?
Elizabeth Russell, Columbia
Issue not clear cut
Not all people see the world as black and white. There is a lot of gray here also. That should be one way to approach abortion.
I believe in the sanctity of life, but I am human and I do believe in some exceptions. Why? As a retired nurse, I have seen outcomes that should not have been allowed.
One example: I took care of a severely disabled 13-year-old female who had been taken advantage of sexually. She did not understand why her belly was hurting so bad. She had carried her baby to term and delivered it. No one was there for her.
My point being there should be exceptions to abortion, especially if rape or incest have occurred, or when the life of the mother can be compromised by death.
I don’t believe abortion should be used as a form of birth control. Nor do I believe as a taxpayer I should be paying for someone to have an abortion.
This issue should be addressed by all women. Put it to a statewide vote.
Barbara Nagy, Columbia
Stop endangering cyclists
I have ridden a bicycle on Hilton Head for 22 years, and feel the need to clear the air.
According to South Carolina State Law, Section 56-5-3420, “A person riding on a bicycle on a roadway must be granted all the rights and is subject to all of the duties applicable to the driver of a vehicle.”
Section 56-5-3430 further states that, “Every bicyclist operating a bicycle upon a roadway shall ride as near to the right side of the road as is practicable.”
Sadly, I, along with many other riders, suffer from motorists honking horns, swerving in order to intimidate us and a host of other dangerous behaviors which, more than once, have resulted in serious injury and even death.
This kind of intimidation is at best uncool, and at worst, deadly. Please stop doing this. You might save someone’s life.
Bicycles and cars are simply a form of transportation. Neither should be used as a weapon.
Franklin Bolgan, HHI
