Republicans face ballot questions: What to know for voting in Anderson and Oconee counties – Anderson Independent Mail

Kirk Brown, Anderson Independent Mail Published 6:38 a.m. ET June 5, 2020

Voters in Anderson and Oconee counties will see changesfrom past elections when theytake part in South Carolina's primaries Tuesday.

Some polling places have moved. Visitscvotes.org for information.

And because of the coronavirus pandemic, poll workers will be wearing masks, face shields and gloves, according tostate Election Commission spokesperson ChrisWhitmire. Sneeze guards are being placed at check-in stations, and voters will be provided with a cotton swab for making selections on voting machines' touch screens. Hand sanitizer will be available.

Who's running for office: 2020 voter guide covers elections for county government, SC General Assembly, Congress

Voters will be encouragedbut not requiredto:

Wear face masks

Bring their own pen to sign in before voting

Hold up their photo ID instead of handing it to poll workers

Observe social distancing by staying at least sixfeet from others

"Be patient and understanding withpoll managers on election day. They are being asked to do a lot to facilitate voting under the current conditions," Whitmire said in an email. "We are all in this together."

The pandemic has led to a shortage of poll workers and a surge in absentee voting. In-person absentee voting will be available on Friday and Monday at the Anderson County Voter Registration and Elections office at 300 NorthMain Streetin downtown Anderson. In-person absentee voting also will be available from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday at the Oconee County Voter Registration and Elections office at 415SouthPine Streetin Walhalla.

Some things will be the same Tuesday as in past elections:

Polling places will be open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Voters should remember to bring a photo ID

There will be two advisoryquestions on Republican primary ballots throughout South Carolina. Theresults of that voting will not directly affect state law, but the questions were added to ballots by party leaders seeking to survey the Republican voters.

The first questionasks whether voters should register to vote with the political party of their choice. South Carolina does not currently register voters by party affiliation, which means that they can choose to cast ballots in either the Republican or Democratic primaries.

The second question asks whether candidates for office should be limited to having their names appear only once on a ballot. Under current state law, candidates' names can appear more than once for the same office if they are backed by multiple political parties. For example, state treasurer candidate Rosalyn Glenn appeared on the ballot twice in 2018 on behalf of the Democratic Party and the Working Families Party.

Democratic voters in Anderson and Oconee counties will cast ballots in a single race. They will choose between Mark Welch and Hosea Cleveland in South Carolina's 3rd Congressional District, with the winner advancing to meetU.S. Rep. Jeff Duncan in the November general election.

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Republican voters in the counties will participate in the U.S. Senate primary. U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham is being challenged by Duke Buckner, Michael LaPierre andJoe Reynolds.

Who is running for US Senate in SC?: Here are the 2020 candidates and what's important to them

In Oconee County, Republican voters will decide the race forsheriff, too, as well as three County Council contests featuring GOP candidates.

In Anderson County, Republican primaries will be held for a state Senate seat and two seats in the state House of Representatives. Voters also will cast ballots in GOP primaries for sheriff and county treasurer, as well as contests involving a pair of County Council seats.

Follow Kirk Brown on Twitter @KirkBrown_AIM

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Republicans face ballot questions: What to know for voting in Anderson and Oconee counties - Anderson Independent Mail