January 19, 2008
Posted: 04:05 PM ET
CONWAY, South Carolina (CNN) – A top backer for John McCain’s presidential bid tells CNN the Arizona senator's campaign is seeking a court order to extend voting in Horry County by one hour, after learning voting machines in this eastern part of the state were malfunctioning on primary day. State Rep. Tracey Edge, R-Myrtle Beach, said the campaign was trying to find a circuit court judge to issue the ruling. "We are seeking an order to extend the voting time, because of reported and publicized information that people were turned away from the polls,” Edge said. All polls in the South Carolina Republican primary are scheduled to close at 7 p.m. ET. Complicating matters for McCain, the county has just one resident circuit court judge, who they have not yet been able to reach. McCain won Horry County when he ran for president in 2000. The McCain campaign Saturday was telling supporters residing in this county to make sure their vote was counted. Earlier in the day, Katon Dawson, chairman of the South Carolina Republican Party, said that he had confidence that the problem would be fixed. “We expect a full and fair count,” Dawson said in a telephone interview with CNN. “In South Carolina, our citizens take the right to vote very seriously. We have full confidence in our state elections commission, which is running this primary. Any questions that have arisen are being addressed.” Dawson noted that “there is always a backup in case there is an election machine malfunction and a ballot can’t be cast.” Lisa Bourcier, public information for Horry County, said that 80 percent of the voting machines were back on-line as of 1:30 p.m. ET. South Carolina was holding its Republican primary Saturday, a critical contest on the road to the GOP presidential nomination.
– CNN’s Lisa Desjardins and Mark Preston
Filed under: John McCain • South Carolina |
 
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