COLUMBIA, South Carolina (CNN) –– Three hours into voting, the South Carolina State Election Commission reports that turnout has been low "across the board" for today's Republican primary here.
"All the reports I've received from various counties is that turnout has been light," said commission spokesman Chris Whitmire.
Polls opened at 7 a.m. throughout the state, where cold, rainy weather may be a factor in slowing turnout.
But Whitmire said that since state elections are usually held on a Tuesday, it's difficult to discern any pattern.
"On a normal election day, there is a rush in the morning before work, but we don’t have that phenomenon since it’s a Saturday," he said. "It's hard to tell on a Saturday when it's going to be convenient for any one person."
Fred Thompson's campaign manager Bill Lacy said in an e-mail to supporters Saturday that "it's not exactly warm but it beats the snowstorm we had in Washington on Thursday."
One dedicated Republican precinct in Lancaster County, a Charlotte suburb where light snow is expected later today, did report unusually high turnout. Thirty voters, all of whom came from a local retirement community, showed up within the first half hour of voting.
But a polling station in conservative Lancaster County, CNN's Mary Snow reported only about two dozen people had cast their votes after one hour of voting.
In the Upstate city of Anderson, one Mike Huckabee supporter cast her vote despite the chilly temperatures.
"We are concerned about the weather but we can't control it," said Mary Mills. "I'm an evangelical and I voted my conscience."
At the same polling station, Huckabee told reporters he is concerned about the weather in that part of the state, which is home to many of South Carolina's evangelical voters who make up his base.
"If it starts snowing up there, that's something we hoped wouldn't happen," he said. "I just hope that our voters are so committed that it doesn't affect the fact that they are going to vote because it's a mission they have to deal with today."
– CNN's Peter Hamby, Mary Snow, and Eric Fiegel
From CNN Politics
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I'm sorry, but the spelling errors in the title and in the article (our voters, not are voters) are a bit disturbing for a CNN reporter. Don't get in such a rush, be professional.
turnout is NOT spelled turnour
A little snow can change everything. There is one thing for certain. Fred Thompson is surging now at 21% over Romney. Hopefully all the McCain Independents and Democrat/Liberals will stay home. They shouldn't be voting in our primary to begin with.
Why are they having republicans vote one Saturday, the democrates the next ? Furthermore, when did we start voting on Saturdays? Thank God the general election is not as willie-nillie as the primaries. I also think results should not be aired until after all the polls close. Eastern time is 3 hrs. before the Pacific time.
Would you tell me how one nominee chooses his running mate in presidential election??
We can only hope that they all stay home today, to prevent a win for Huckabee!
It is a slow turnout because no one wants to vote for any of the Republicans.
Mr. Cafferty. Your claim that the candidates are blaming the media for their reporting is laughable. YES, the media has more influence on what happens in the United Stases than any other source of influence. The media twists news to come out the way you want it to appear. Like you take what the candidates say on one line of their speech and make a tremendous deal out of it. Making it sound like whatever point you are trying to make. You don't play the complete statement of the candidate. If you did then there would never be any controversy. A very good point of reporting is as follows: Take Bob Novak, (traitor) revealing the name of the Female CIA operative under the wishes of the residing President and Vice President is treason. All three shoud be tried for treason against the United States. Don't give me no ammendment on freedom of the press as an excuse. When it come to costing americans lives as this leak could have very well done then it is an injustice beyond reason. Bob Novak, is a biased Republican as I believe you are. Don't try to claim that you and Wolf Blitzer are independents. You make too many biased opinions to sway the public in the direction you wish them to go. I used to think CNN was an honest news reporting agency, but they are slowly falling to the same tactics as Fox Network. Come on lets turn this network back to being a patroit to the American People.
Charlotte is in North Carolina!!
I know this is a bit off topic, but I just wanted to say how glad I was to hear the old "election" music just now on CNN newsroom. I had been hoping you would bring that music back!
All you folks down in South Carolina what ever you do dont vote for John McCain he is for amnsty for illegal aliens, free trade and globilization(outsourcing) and basically giving corporate special interests what ever they ask for. In my humble opinion a man like this should not get any votes.
FI January 12, 2008 3:48 pm ET
Does anybody remember McCain last year in the following:
Illegal Aliens do the jobs Americans won't do. McCain had the nerve to challenge the American people that he would pay $50 an hour to anyone who would come to his ranch and work the fields the way the Illegal Aliens do.
Remember the phrase "JOBS AMERICANS WON'T DO?"
HE'S NOT TALKING ABOUT ILLEGALS BUT HE STILL WANTS TO DO IT. IF HE IS ELECTED, HE WILL WORK WITH KENNEDY AND THE REST OF THE CROWD TO MAKE IT HAPPEN. REMEMBER LINDSEY GRAHAM ALSO SUPPORTED THE AMNESTY BILL, FOLKS.
CAN SOMEBODY PLEASE PUT McCAIN ON THE SPOT AND MAKE HIM TAKE A STAND ON ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION? THE AMERICAN PEOPLE DESERVE TO KNOW JUST WHERE THAT MAN STANDS.
I THOUGHT MITT ROMNEY WAS GOING TO DO IT BUT HE IS NOT TAKING THE FIGHT TO McCAIN. AND FRED THOMPSON IS ONLY INTERESTED IN THUMPING HUCKABEE BECAUSE McCAIN IS HIS FRIEND.
THIS NEEDS TO BE BROUGHT OUT BEFORE THE SOUTH CAROLILNA PRIMARY. IF YOU WANT AMNESTY FOR ILLEGALS, McCAIN IS YOUR GUY.
This “shot in the arm” stimulus plan is to the economy is not going to work. This is UNACCEPTABLE!!
The Undocumented Citizens who has no income will be unbeneficial from a tax cut and how would that put money into their pockets when they are unemployed and unqualified/disqualified from all Social Services Benefits????
This plan is flawed and will create more of a problem down the line. Talk about selling out of the Middle Class Citizens who are undocumented, unemployed who are non-tax payers.
This Stimulus Plan – why not use is solely on the Citizens who are undocumented, non-tax-payers, unemployed, homeless…etc why not put the money in their pockets on a permanent bias and correct their hardship????
How many individuals who are non-citizens will benefit from this Stimulus Plan? How many illegal aliens, who have jobs will benefit from this Stimulus Plan, over the undocumented Citizens???? How many undocumented Citizens who are unemployed will benefit over non-citizens???? Should non-citizens/aliens/illegal immigrants who broke the law be awarded/bribe with this Stimulus Plan?
This perpetuation of a Stimulus Plan is a process/pattern of behavior that is only beneficial to law breakers. If it had not worked in the past (2001, 2005) been corrected, and was unbeneficial, what would make it work this time around??? Therefore the WAR on the undocumented citizens, who were middle class America citizens, continues.
This prove that undocumented citizens is a class of people that is and will be defunct and that has be depraved indifference upon their lives by the Government/White House Stimulus Plans and by all governmental officials. This group of classless individuals are continued to be an eyesore to everyone who pass them on the street and turn up their noses. This stimulus plan is to enforce beliefs that reckless endangerment is pre-mediated and they are forced against their will involuntarily to accept their faith as such; and continue with hardship. This is unacceptable. All of the Stimulus Plan, money, should be awarded to the Undocumented Citizens. Instead it is used to push them out by bribing the working class, non-citizens, aliens…etc for having the undocumented citizens obsolete. How does that make this the “Greatest Nation?” Ms. C. Jugmohan
obama regan. He shold get his registration as a REPUBLICAN, Like them! is changeing flags at his convenience, his vertebral column has been geting to flexible.
With these choices why would anyone bother to vote....
"obama regan". He should get his registration as a REPUBLICAN, Like them! Is changing flags at his convenience, his vertebral column has been getting to flexible.
Unlike the other candidate’s followers, I believe South Carolina Huckabee supporters are more personally motivated to cast their vote today.
I think people would rather be enjoying thier families on saturday, because they are not enthusiastic about any of the candidates.
Hopefully SC ralizes Huckabee is a flip flopper on immigration......if they are lookig for a moral president, they can certainly find one in Dr. Paul.
Who would have thought it might be beneficial to have primaries and caucuses held in a more temperate season so people could get out and vote. Oh well, at least the area is getting the moisture it so desperately needs.
Bad weather is very bad for McCain. Huckabee's zombies will turn out in force regardless of the weather. If weather stays bad, McCain is toast and out of the race. Weather hurt him in Mi., guess that lucky shirt wasn't so lucky.
Could it possibly be there is nobody worth voting for?
When we apply for a position, we must provide our resume with verifiable information.
Why don't we, the voters, have access to a resume of each of these candidates listing their qualifications and both paid and unpaid work experiences in chronological order?
These resumes in .pdf format should be made public for us all to evaluate before we cast the votes. If any of the candidates is willing to post one on their webpage, they would show that they respect the voters and they take this job application seriously.
This may encourage higher turnouts in future primaries.
Check this out!!!!!
Monday, November 14, 2005
Time Magazine Names Huckabee One Of Nation's Best Governors
Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee, who is also chairman of the National Governor's Association, was named one of America's five best governor's in the latest edition of Time magazine. Only one other Republican is on the list (Guinn, Nevada).
"... Like Clinton," Time says, "Huckabee has approached his state's troubles with energy and innovation, and he has enjoyed some successes. Most notably, he created ARKids First, which offers health insurance to poor children and has helped reduced the percentage of uninsured Arkansans under 18 to 9% in 2003-04, compared with 12% for the nation and 21% for neighboring Texas.
Since he became Governor in July 1996, welfare rolls have declined by nearly half, and last year the state's economy grew 4.4%, beating the national average of 4.2%. But Huckabee, 50, is a good Governor, not just for what he has done but also for who he has become, personally and politically. He is literally half the man he used to be, having lost 110 lbs. after learning in 2002 that he has diabetes and suffering chest pains a year later. He now exercises with martial regularity. More important, but less noted, has been Huckabee's political transformation. In his early years as Lieutenant Governor and then in the top job, he offered little more than anti-Clinton resentment and capering populism."
"Huckabee is now a mature, consensus-building conservative who earns praise from fellow Evangelicals and, occasionally, liberal Democrats."
For the rest of the Time article, click HERE.
Maybe, just maybe, South Carolina voters are expressing what many Americans truly feel, there is not a president in the bunch; from either party. Why turn out?
Go Mitt!
Check this out!!!
Monday, November 14, 2005
Time Magazine Names Huckabee One Of Nation's Best Governors
Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee, who is also chairman of the National Governor's Association, was named one of America's five best governor's in the latest edition of Time magazine. Only one other Republican is on the list (Guinn, Nevada).
"... Like Clinton," Time says, "Huckabee has approached his state's troubles with energy and innovation, and he has enjoyed some successes. Most notably, he created ARKids First, which offers health insurance to poor children and has helped reduced the percentage of uninsured Arkansans under 18 to 9% in 2003-04, compared with 12% for the nation and 21% for neighboring Texas.
Since he became Governor in July 1996, welfare rolls have declined by nearly half, and last year the state's economy grew 4.4%, beating the national average of 4.2%. But Huckabee, 50, is a good Governor, not just for what he has done but also for who he has become, personally and politically. He is literally half the man he used to be, having lost 110 lbs. after learning in 2002 that he has diabetes and suffering chest pains a year later. He now exercises with martial regularity. More important, but less noted, has been Huckabee's political transformation. In his early years as Lieutenant Governor and then in the top job, he offered little more than anti-Clinton resentment and capering populism."
"Huckabee is now a mature, consensus-building conservative who earns praise from fellow Evangelicals and, occasionally, liberal Democrats."
For the rest of the Time article, click HERE.
Organized religion contaminates eveything/one it touches and Huckleberry has been sorely tainted.
Yes, God wants the evans to stay home. Don't you get it. Blame it on the weather :0
If America cares about who they pick, is it fair to BLAME it all on the weather. Fine reporting CNN!
Low Turnout for Republicans this has been a typical trend, spells trouble for Republicans
What's this? God sends bad weather specifically to the Evangelical part of the state? Hmmmm.......And if indeed overall turnout is low, what's that say about the overall state of apathy of Republican voters state-wide?
PLEASE go out and vote today!!! Regardless of the weather, if it's safe for you to drive or walk to your polling place you should absolutely go out and vote! South Carolina will probably make the difference in this year's primary season, if we don't vote en mass it could mean that we continue without a frontrunner for even longer, which weakens our party. Please go vote and make your voice heard! Go Mike!!!
Bet the turnout for the democratic primary will be better.
Im glad that South Carolina has more restrictions on voting, and does not have the same day register vote, that cuts down on voter fraud.
Maybe more states should consider more strict guidlines for voting.
Good job South Carolina
It is only the first day. Things will get better as the weather gets better.
Vote your conscience.
A vote cast with a clear conscience is never wasted regardless of the result. A true American will always uphold the Constitution, no matter what the consequences.
If everyone who thinks Ron Paul is unelectable voted for him, he would win with a landslide!
SC people! You will make history if you go out to vote.
You can't complain if you give up on your right to vote.
If you don't value your own right, guess who is going to respect your right?
Nobody! You really matter.
The GOP can't even get people to show up to a meeting of the white right.
Regarding the media, in this age, the most important thing is that the news gets communicated. Most people can figure things out if a letter is missing or out of order. Younger folk communicate rapidly and effectively with text messaging. On my Blackberry, if I need to tell my boss something urgent, my boss is a smart person. If I wait 10 seconds to make sure everything is perfect, we miss the boat. Get the message across..worry about the technic when you have the luxury.
Ben, the nominee chooses the Vice-Presidential candidate based on his own assessment of who would make the party's ticket stronger. Usually the nominee for President tries to choose someone from a different part of the country, and often tries to select someone whose perceived strengths will overcome the candidate's perceived weaknesses. Those strengths and weaknesses could be related to where the Presidential candidate might have trouble winning states, or it could be a matter of creating a team that looks more capable. George W. Bush, who had been a governor, chose Dick Cheney, who had prior Washington and White House experience.
If you have questions like this, yahoo answers is probably a better place to pose them than in a comments section like this.
"it is only the first day" ... huh?
Ron Paul is a proven racist and hatemonger. Oh, wait, that's right, he had no idea that his newsletter which was pout out for years was saying the things that it was. Give me a break. Even without that, his ideas, while interesting, are flawed.
I don't care what Time magazine said about the Huckster back in 2005 – the guy is a bona fide LUNATIC – wanting to quarantine people with AIDS, make the constitution more like the Bible, women should submit to men – PLEASE!!
Real Christian-like talking about what they would do with a flag-pole. The guy is a joke. Please just go away. Far away. And shut up.
Evangelicals should look deeper- if you truly vote your conscience, you wouldn't vote for Huckabee! He is a Pharisee. Do your homework people! We're talking about the leader of the free world.
Fred Thompson is also a Christian, even though he doesn't feel the need to leverage Christ for political gain. He is the only truly conservative candidate in the race. I hope and pray that SC votes Thompson!
Go, Fred, Go – Fred08.com
Forgive my too-frequent postings here! I am just thinking why Americans would forfeit their voting rights, while many around the world would die for it?
Perhaps it's the economy that discourages the SC people from getting out to vote.
President Bush and some candidates from both parties have gone forward with economic packages to save us from a recession.
The problem we heard is that we are not spending as much as expected.
Now the government wants to give us this and that so we can spend more.
This is the Keynesian economy theory, which assumes that we are stupid enough to spend the rebate and put it back to the economy soon.
One big problem many of us faced this past Christmas was that we did not know what to buy as gifts. We want to avoid buying Chinese goods for whatever reasons, but there are very few products that aren't made in China these days. The best thing we could do was to request for donations to presidential candidates or charities as gifts.
I almost cried when I saw on Ron Paul's website all American made T-shirts and baseball caps, even key chains or campaign signs.
What's wrong with our American manufacturing sectors?
Don't they know the American people want American made goods now?
There are too few American products on the shelf and we just lost interest in buying junk or questionable products from China. In fact, my wife said she could find more American made goods of good quality in thrift stores these days.
However, this kind of sales won't stimulate our economy, which was built on false success and it's high time for us to take a short-term recession and to shape up our economy again.
I hope our politicians take notice of the real problem. Yes, some do have problems with paying their mortgage, but a bigger problem is that we don't know what to buy. An economic stimulus package needs to give a booster shot in the correct spot for it to work or this money won't have any expected effects.
We need a stimulus package to stimulate our manufacturing for our consumers.
Let's ask Dr. Ron Paul where he or his campaign finds all these American made products.
South Carolina, maybe people would go and vote if they would fix the down machines. Voting machines are down. get them fix now!!!!!!!!!
I love it. Mike Huckabee says that people who vote for him are on a "mission." Give me a break please. This guy really is running for Pastor-in-Chief. What a clown!
Fanatical Shiites killing Sunnis and fanatical Sunnis killing Shiites – both are adherents to Islamic doctrine. I can see it now, some fanatical evangelical, in the name of God the Father, Jesus Christ and Holy Huckabee, follows the lead of fanatical Islamists, and starts killing non-evangelical Christians with treasonable, confederate flag draped poles. And they do it because their conscience so dictated it.
This is why separation of church and state is so important, regardless of religious convictions. The issues of America's economy, self-defense, and moral direction shouldn't be left to Huckabee, or anyone like him, who teaches "Free Agency and How to Enforce It" Otherwise, we bring to our homes the bloodshed and debauchery being experienced in the Middle-east, and what was left behind in the Dark Ages.
Romeny '08 for the Economy, for Sovereignty, for the future.
It's not a low turn out! were just waiting to vote for the dem's next week sorry Huckabee
Gosh, Maybe your right Bob. Maybe people that have a faith based conscience shouldn't be allowed to even run for office. Maybe we should take the constitusition and flush it down the drain Bob. Maybe we could even go as far as comparing evangelical christians to fanatical Islamists. I think thats obsurd. Bob you should know that I'm one of those Christians and you should also know that I find your statement somewhat disturbing. I vote for a person based on my ideal of how that person (he or she) is going to affect my pursuit of Life, Liberty, Happiness ect...the Amarican dream.. As I'm sure most Americans do. When you start branding people because of thier personal beliefs, you begin following a trend that many countries have followed by stripping the rights of it's citizens from them..Communism for instance. I voted for Mike H. because he best supported my best interest in acheiving my American dream..Thats called freedom friend.
according to the media there seems to be only 4 canditates in the race: 2 demo and 2 republic. which brings me to john edwards: let us hope that the american voters will see in edwards the making of a president . they can hear his message during the debates . his position on the main issuses is clearly articulated. unlike his opposition. he has already 18 votes commited. ( in states where he did not spend much } lets hope he will gathermore backng ...the american voters are not that naive....
I am Ron Paul supporter and I am so mad at the Media. Ron Paul is in third place and is receiving 12% of the vote in Nevada more than Thompson, Huckabee, Giuliani and yet Thompson and Giuliani get more media coverage.
Huckabee only has support in the South and among evangelicals. Even they are divided on their support of the man. Evangelicals will vote Republican in the general election, no matter who the nominee. So Republicans, shouldn't you put somebody up for the general election who has a broader appeal?
WAKE UP REPUBLICANS! – McAmnesty IS NO CONSERVATIVE. Just look at the exit polls. He can't win conservative voters. How on earth is that supposed to excite the base in November?
I find it laughable that John says "I know how to fix borders. I'm from a border state." Huh? If you know how to fix them, why haven't you done anything about them? More illegals cross into the US in AZ than any other state in the nation.
He flipped his finger to the 1st Amendment with that garbage McCain-Feingold legislation he wrote with the Left
He co-authored the biggest amnesty bill ever with that drunk from the left.....but now wants to flip-flop on that and play word games.
He voted against the federal ban on gay marriage.
He voted against the Bush tax cuts twice...but now wants to flip-flop on that issue as well.
He cost the GOP control of the Senate with that despicable Gang of 14 crap. He wants to tell you how he'll put conservative judges in place and yet he was the ring leader of the very undoing of Bush's attempts to put conservative judges in place.
Again I say, McAmnesty is no true conservative. The GOP can't trust him. Go Huckabee!!!!
""it is only the first day" … huh?
Ron Paul is a proven racist and hatemonger. Oh, wait, that's right, he had no idea that his newsletter which was pout out for years was saying the things that it was. Give me a break. Even without that, his ideas, while interesting, are flawed."
Another Victory for the MainStream Media. We Report, you conform. You got that down pat there, Phil.
Open your eyes, look at the ISSUES and the WAY HE VOTES, his record will tell you everything. Not the News.
Did you know that he is against the War on Drugs, largely because it unfairly targets Poor and Colored people?
Yeah, real bigot. It's easy to say whatever you want, its called a rumor. However, you can't dispute the way he votes – and that is fact.
America is very thankful to those voters of South Carolina that got out and supporting Mike Huckabee today. It most likely will set the stage for the rest of America to elect Mike Huckabee, President of The United States. Thank you South Carolina!
McCain is for amnesty for illegal aliens and the outsourcing of American jobs. He is just as liberal as ted kennedy. Whatever you do dont vote for this liberal democrat in a republican costume.
Record low turnout in all Republican contests, despite a highly competitive contest among the GOP candidates, spells one thing: disaster in the general election unless things change. All the Democratic nominee has to do is tie the Republican nominee to George Bush's disastrous Presidency and watch him lose bigger than Bob Dole in 1996 or Barry Goldwater in 1964. I am sure that clips will surface of any nominees kind words about the dumbest President ever. Name one achievement. As a teacher, No Child Left Behind was all about standardized testing without funds to make real changes. Iraq, New Orleans, collapse of the nation's infrastructure, tax cuts for the rich, huge deficits, Scooter Libbey justice, the rape of the US Constitution, politicalization of the Justice Department, and other failures point to Republican collapse everywhere, but the Deep South.