The record-setting pace for early voting at the Beaufort County Board of Elections office Thursday, the first day of this election cycle’s early voting period, is an indication there is a great deal of interest in this election.
That interest, for some voters, may be limited to the presidential race. Other voters may be interested in whose running for the four available seats on the Beaufort County Board of Commissioners. Another group of voters may be focused on the race for the state House District 6 seat. To be sure, some voters are interested in every race on their ballots.
Early voting ran from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Thursday, with 1,135 voters having marked ballots when the voting ended. That’s an impressive number. It’s a little more than 3 percent of the number of registered voters in Beaufort County, according to Kellie Harris Hopkins, the county’s elections director. As of Oct. 13, there were 32,594 registered voters in the county.
Hopkins won’t be surprised if this election cycle in the county sets a record for early voting. She cites the interest in the presidential race and the convenience of early voting as factors in what should be a record-setting year.
Thanks to the state for implementing early voting. Thanks to the Board of Elections for expanding early voting sites and hours.
Thank you, voters, for taking advantage of early voting and being responsible citizens by participating in the democratic process.