BEAUFORT, S.C. — Votes cast on Daufuskie Island should reach Beaufort County election headquarters much sooner on Tuesday night, because the Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office plans to fly them in by helicopter instead of waiting on the ferry.
In past elections a deputy picked up the island precinct’s equipment and paper results and rode back on the regular ferry run. With the trip tied to departure times, the island numbers often did not land at the central office until close to 11 p.m.
Jean Felix, who directs Beaufort County’s Board of Voter Registration and Elections, asked Sheriff Tanner about other ways to make the trip. The Sheriff’s Office first offered a Marine Patrol boat, then came back a day later with the idea of using an Aviation Unit helicopter. A member of the elections staff will ride along to and from the island to keep custody of the data. Felix called it a case of two county agencies teaming up for the benefit of voters.
The elections office is also fighting a different problem ahead of Nov. 3. The county says social media posts falsely claim that poll workers will write on ballots so they get thrown out. Poll managers are not allowed to mark a ballot, officials said, and even an accidental mark would not void one, because the scanner would still read it and count the voter’s choices.
County officials are asking residents to be wary of election claims shared online and to check questions with the elections office or scVOTES.gov. The general election is Tuesday, Nov. 3.
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Filed under: Beaufort SC Politics News
