County voters casting ballots ahead of Nov. 3 election

Voters have been casting their ballots early for the Nov. 3 General Election at the Office of Elections and Voter Registration in Laurens.

A week prior to the Nov. 3 General Election, local voter turnout has been heavy as early voters have taken advantage of expanded mail-in and early voting.

Through 5 p.m. Tuesday, 5,458 voters have cast their ballots early at the Laurens County Board of Voter Registration and Elections offices at the Historic County Courthouse in downtown Laurens. Another 2,683 have voted by mail with a week until Election Day. Those numbers represent about 19% of registered voters in the county and are up from 3,543 early in-person voters and 993 mail-in ballots in 2016, according to Lynne West director of the county Board of Voter Registration and Elections.

The state’s “COVID-19 Absentee Voting” bill passed by the General Assembly and signed into law by Gov. Henry McMaster paved the way for in-person absentee voting to begin on Oct. 5.

West said things have gone well during nearly a month of early voting at the historic courthouse, which is seeing increased turnout a week before the election.

“Our voters have been great,” West said. “Everyone has been friendly in line, holding places for people. We’ve also had a lot of curbside voting (for disabled and elderly voters).”