Live updates: Biden projected winner in SC 2020 Democratic primary, sources say

The day South Carolina Democrats have been waiting for has arrived.

Polls opened at 7 a.m. across South Carolina for the S.C. Democratic presidential primary. Eight candidates are seeking the nomination, but only seven of them will appear on the ballot: Joe Biden, Pete Buttigieg, Tulsi Gabbard, Amy Klobuchar, Bernie Sanders, Tom Steyer and Elizabeth Warren. Billionaire Michael Bloomberg also is running but did not seek ballot access in South Carolina.

Take a look at our Procrastinator’s Guide if you need to catch up quickly on the race. And check back here for updates from the polls and the campaigns as they make their final appeals:

7:05 p.m.

Multiple news outlets began reporting a winner in the S.C. Democratic primary as polls closed at 7 p.m.

Multiple networks and the Associated Press projected former Vice President Joe Biden would be the winner on Saturday, based on exit polling.

CNN, Fox News and NBC News all predicted Biden to be the victor in a race that included six other Democratic candidates.

If the result holds, it would be Biden’s first victory in a primary this year, after Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont previously garnered the most votes in Iowa, New Hampshire and Nevada.

6:55 p.m.

Richland County had a significant number of ballot-marking devices fail to open during South Carolina’s Democratic primary on Saturday.

State Election Commission spokesman Chris Whitmire said trouble with the new devices was common in the first statewide election to use a new voting system that includes a paper ballot component. But Richland had “a larger number than other counties.”

“That’s something that we’ll have to find out why so many didn’t work,” Whitmire said. “That would certainly be a problem in November.”

Whitmire couldn’t say how many precincts had been effected, but most had more than one ballot-marker to print out voters’ completed ballots before they could be passed through a scanner — a change from how votes were cast in past elections that used touchscreen-only voting machines.

Whitmire said all machines were working later Saturday morning, after technicians went from precinct to precinct to unlock the machines.

South Carolina adopted the $51 million voting system last year.

6:05 p.m.

Almost half of S.C. voters say the endorsement of Rep. Jim Clyburn was important to their vote on Saturday, according to an exit poll of S.C. voters conducted by Edison Research.

The long-serving Democratic congressman endorsed former Vice President Joe Biden on Wednesday.

4:15 p.m.

But while some voters were still torn as they headed to the polls. In Forest Hills, Richard Moss voted for Biden because his top concern is beating President Donald Trump in November.

“A lot of what Sanders says is too pie in the sky,” Moss said. “I think we’d lose the House because Trump will pile on calling him a socialist.”

Rowan Leach voted for U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren, of Massachusetts, but said she would be ready to vote for Sanders, her husband’s choice in the primary.

“We’re liberals,” she said, waving away concerns about the Vermont senator’s ability to win in November. “If Bernie had been the nominee in 2016, I really think he would have beaten Trump.”

3:30 p.m.

Voters remain conflicted about which Democratic candidate should get their vote even as voting continues in the first-in-the-South primary.

In Columbia’s Greenview Park, one of the capital city’s more active Democratic precincts, Paul Stroman said he preferred businessman Tom Steyer, but he voted for former Vice President Joe Biden because he thought Barack Obama’s former vice president would be a stronger candidate in the general election.

In Rosewood, Martin Izett voted for U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders, of Vermont, but said he would have supported Michael Bloomberg “tactically” if the billionaire former New York City mayor had been on the ballot, “because he will spend so much money.”

Beverly Izett, Martin’s wife, voted for the 38-year-old former Mayor Pete Buttigieg because of her concern that Biden, Sanders and Trump are all in their 70s.

“I’m tired of old white men,” Beverly Izett said. “I’d prefer somebody young and female, but I’ll settle for young and gay.”

2:40 p.m.

Absentees votes have far exceeded the last time Democrats choose a presidential nominee in 2016.

State election officials report that 75,209 absentee primary ballots have been returned as of early Saturday morning, with the possibility for more ballots to be returned before polls close at 7 p.m.

In 2016, only 54,186 ballots were returned in the contest between Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders.

On election day itself, turnout was said to be light in some areas, but much steadier in others, according to Chris Whitmire with the State Election Commission.

“Which makes since, when you consider some areas are more traditionally Republican and some Democratic,” Whitmire said.

Even at polling places with strong turnouts, no long waits or lines were reported, and issues with voting equipment were minimal and had mostly been resolved by early morning, Whitmire said.

Voter turnout across York County in the Upstate was steady Saturday, said Beth Covington, spokesperson for the county Office of Voter Registration and Elections.

Around 8 a.m., there was a line of voters outside the Rock Hill City Hall poll. And by noon, nearly 200 people had cast their ballots there in the presidential primary.

Louise Smith and Ella Mae Davis, both in their 60s, were smiling as they walked out of City Hall Saturday morning. They wore “I Voted” stickers. Smith held hands with two-year-old A’shari Simmons. She also wore a sticker.

“Say, ‘We voted,’” Smith told A’shari. She threw her arms up and mumbled the words as best she could.

“A long time ago, people did some things in order for us to be able to vote,” Davis said. “And I think if you’ve got a voice, use it.”

“Who’d you vote for?” Davis leaned down and asked A’shari, who held a baby doll under her arm. “The good president?”

“The good president,” A’shari said quietly.

People strolled in and out of City Hall every few minutes Saturday. The makeup of the precinct is predominantly African American and generally, has had a high voter turnout in Democratic primaries.

“African Americans are very important to the Democratic Party,” Bo Williamson, 49, said. “We play a big part and of course you stick your chest out, knowing that you have that power.”

Williamson had trouble deciding between the seven Democratic candidates on the ballot in South Carolina.

“This has been one of the toughest decisions presidentially that we’ve had to make,” he said. “It’s a very important decision. But at the end of the day, no matter who becomes the candidate to go against Trump, we have no choice but to support them.”

2:20 p.m.

Melaysia Moore, 18, went to the polls in Bucksport, a historically African-American neighborhood in Horry County, with her grandmother, Gwendolyn Moore-Mishoe. The 2020 election will be the first she’s voted in.

Bucksport, located outside of Conway, had 81 votes cast ahead of Moore’s. Like other locations in Horry County, voters steadily streamed into the voting booth but no lines had formed as of around noon on Saturday.

For Moore, she didn’t decide who to vote for until she got to the poll but took her responsibility to be an informed citizen seriously. She decided on Tom Steyer because she believed he is authentic and has a strong work ethic.

“I gotta have someone who is authentic,” she said. “And he seemed dedicated.”

Moore’s grandmother voted for Joe Biden, but also considered supporting Michael Bloomberg.

Ultimately Moore-Mishoe, who likes to vote for a mix of Republicans and Democrats, thinks whomever gets the nomination needs to unite the country and work with both parties to bring needed change.

“I believe the person needs to take charge,” Moore-Mishoe said.

12:08 p.m.

Voting and turnout near Hilton Head, namely Beaufort, Port Royal and Bluffton, appeared to be running smoothly, according to Stephen Fastenau of the Island Packet:

Shortly after voting opened, voters gathered in the lobby of Buckwalter Recreation Complex in a growing area of Bluffton. People streamed through the door to vote or grab a seat at the youth basketball tournament in the same building.

About 30 people had lined up outside the door before polls opened where residents of four precincts vote.

“Which amazed us on a Saturday,” poll clerk Nancy Allen said. “We were expecting that on a weekday when there’s people going to work, but not so much on a Saturday.”

In northern Beaufort County, almost 100 people had voted at Charles Lind Brown Activity Center and its three downtown Beaufort precincts just before 9 a.m.

Pigeon Point neighborhood resident David Townsend, 64, said he appreciated the paper record generated by the new voting machines.

“If there’s a question, an issue, a problem, you open the machine up and count them all by hand,” he said. “That’s a good thing.”

11:45 a.m.

Several precincts throughout the state have had issues with getting computers up and running, said Chris Whitmire, the spokesman for the state elections commission.

Some precincts in Lee, Hampton, Charleston and Berkeley counties were affected, Whitmire said.

The most common cause of this is poll workers entering incorrect passwords into the computers, Whitmire said.

When that happened, poll workers used “emergency” paper ballots to collect votes, Whitmire said.

“That’s what they’re supposed to do in that situation,” Whitmire said.

10:16 a.m.

There seems to have been a miscommunication about curbside voting, Richland County Interim Elections Director Terry Graham said.

There have been some poll workers telling people that the county does not offer curbside voting, Graham said. That is not true, and Richland County is still offering curbside voting in accordance with federal law, Graham said.

Curbside voting is meant to help seniors and people with disabilities vote.

9:30 a.m.

Some on social media have taken issue with South Carolina’s practice of consolidating or changing precincts. The State talked to Chris Whitmire, the spokesman for the state elections commission, to find out what’s going on.

Yes, some precincts throughout the state have been consolidated, Whitmire said.

Yes, South Carolina has done this before in presidential primaries, Whitmire said.

No, this was not done yesterday. It was done months ago, Whitmire said.

“None of this was done yesterday,” Whitmire said. “I think this was people finding out yesterday.”

Statewide 130 precincts have been moved or closed, according to state data. For those that are closed or moved, there is a sign out front directing voters to the correct primary, Whitmire said.

Polling places can be moved or consolidated because they are not available. For example, Lexington County had a precinct move recently because heavy rainfall flooded the voting place, Whitmire said.

“That’s why it’s important for voters to check” online to double-check their precincts, Whitmire said.

However, polling places can also be consolidated to save money.

State law requires elections officials to consolidate precincts during presidential primaries if it can save money. Here is the relevant portion of the law, Section 7-11-20(b)(2):

“the State Election Commission and the authorities responsible for conducting the elections in each county shall provide for cost-effective measures in conducting the presidential preference primaries including, but not limited to, combining polling places, while ensuring that voters have adequate notice and access to the polling places.”

Whitmire said elections officials notified people of the changed precincts through newspaper ads, social media posts and an updated list on SCVotes.org.

The State obtained a list of all precinct locations that have changed or been consolidated. Here is a link to a spreadsheet with all the changed precincts.

8:57 a.m.

Here’s an update from Trav Robertson, chairman of the S.C. Democratic Party:

“Currently, right now, there are only minor issues,” Robertson said. “There don’t seem to be any major issues and if there are issues, you can call our voter protection hotline at 1-855-785-0222.”

8:23 a.m.

Some Richland County precincts are starting to see lines, Graham said.

Those lines are at Ballentine 1 and 2 precincts and officials are trying to get another voting machine out there to speed up the process, Graham said.

One thing that could be slowing down voting, especially early in the day, is that poll workers and voters are getting used to the voting machines, which were rolled out in mid/late 2019, Graham said.

Those who didn’t vote for Columbia City Council in the fall or in Richland 1’s special election on New Year’s Eve may not be used to the new machines, which could slow things down a bit, Graham said.

Poll workers who have not volunteered since the machines were unveiled are also still getting used to them. However, Graham said that’s probably a temporary problem.

“I figure in the next hour or two things will calm down and run smooth for the rest of the day,” Graham said.

A reporter for The State who was at the Meadowfield Elementary precinct at 7:30 said lines were short, with about 10 people waiting in line to vote.

Throughout the day, voters could see “periodic lines,” said Chris Whitmire, the spokesman for the state elections commission. That is normal and is something that largely depends on when someone chooses to vote, such as during a lunch break.

Whitmire urged anyone who plans to vote today to double-check their precinct location on the state elections commission website, as sometimes precinct locations change or are consolidated, he said.

7:35 a.m.

Richland County is encountering minor technical issues with voting, but “nothing major,” Graham said.

Polling places have reported issues such as the wrong laptop being at the wrong precinct or minor technical issues with voting machines, Graham said.

7:21 a.m.

Elections officials say they are not seeing any major polling issues so far. However, it is still very early, Whitmire said.

So far, Georgetown, Spartanburg, Edgefield, Chester and Barnwell counties have all reported saying they have been having no issues. Officials are waiting on more information from other counties.

“We don’t have a full picture of what’s going on out there yet,” Whitmire said.

“No issues so far and we hope it stays that way,” Whitmire said.

7:00 a.m.

Polls are open! As for Friday evening, officials were not predicting any issues with polling places, Whitmire said.

This story will be updated throughout the day.

This story was originally published February 29, 2020 at 6:59 AM.