Richland County, SC — Early voting is not the right choice for South Carolina. How long have the citizens of this state been voting? In all the years of voting, how many elections have been tainted with serious problems like Richland County had in 2012?

Richland County elections violated state law regarding the number of voting machines required. But some Richland County officials don’t care because they got their sacred penny sales tax passed. That election mess has raised concerns about whether votes are being counted.

We need to get back to the basics of voting. We probably need to curb time on campaigning. The new voter ID law was imperative. Those who complain that they can’t get a photo ID card simply don’t want to be identified. The same people who can’t get to the Election Commission or the Department of Motor Vehicles to get an I.D. don’t seem to have any transportation problems getting to the grocery store, the doctor, the bank, the church.

But first, we need accountability. Lillian McBride has not been held accountable for her job performance; nor has the Richland County legislative delegation for not giving voters answers. Neither has come forward, but I’m sure someone is cashing fat payroll checks at the taxpayers’ expense.

Our voting system is not broken. We simply need to follow the rules as we have in the past many years of voting.

Tim Shealy

Irmo