Survey from state Election Commission shows voters generally confident in election adminstration
By Abraham Kenmore
SCDailyGazette.com
COLUMBIA — All of South Carolina’s ballot-counting machines are being replaced with new, faster versions ahead of the November elections.
The State Election Commission on Tuesday announced the purchase of 3,240 updated ballot scanners. The new scanners are slightly smaller than the ones used since 2020 but otherwise look the same and are made by the same company. However, they’ll start up, scan and upload results significantly faster, according to the agency.
“This upgrade reflects our commitment to providing a secure, accurate, and transparent voting process that is accessible to all eligible voters,” Howie Knapp, executive director of the Election Commission, said in a news release.
The total cost of the new scanners is about $29 million, paid for through a program of the state treasurer’s office that provides low-cost financing to upgrade state agencies’ equipment.
Poll worker incentive
Beyond being faster for voters and poll workers — and hopefully providing results quicker — the new equipment also offers greater security, to include data encryption and anti-tampering features, according to the agency.
Other preparations underway for an election that will decide the next president and which party controls Congress include poll worker recruitment.
The state will need somewhere between 13,000 and 17,000 people to work the polls, with the largest counties needing more than 1,000 workers each. Criteria include being a registered voter.
Counties will continue to recruit poll workers until they have enough. That may continue through late October, if necessary, said John Michael Catalano, spokesman for the state Election Commission.
Last week, the South Carolina Supreme Court provided some extra incentive for lawyers to volunteer at the polls.
Volunteering as election workers will count as six hours of credit toward attorneys’ mandatory continuing legal education training. That would shave off nearly half of the 14 hours of credits attorneys must acquire annually in South Carolina to keep their license.
To count, attorneys must work the entire Election Day and forgo the poll worker stipend, reads the Sept. 11 order signed by all five state Supreme Court justices.
That’s not giving up much. The state provides poll workers a total of $135 for Election Day, which includes $60 for mandatory training ahead of time. Poll clerks, who lead each precinct and undergo more training, get an additional $100. However, poll worker pay varies statewide, since counties often supplement the state rate.
This will be the third time that South Carolina’s high court has given credit to lawyers who assist at the polls.
Still, lawyers are likely to be just a fraction of the total number of election workers.
In 2020, 71 attorneys received the credit for participating, while just 35 did so two years ago, according to the Supreme Court Commission on CLE (continuing legal education) and Specialization.
Voters confident in SC election administration
Despite challenges in recruiting poll workers and keeping election administrators, residents of South Carolina seem confident in the state’s elections ahead of November.
The State Election Commission commissioned a poll from the firm Chernoff Newman, which surveyed just over 500 registered voters in July.
The poll showed that 87% of respondents were somewhat or very confident in the accuracy of state elections, compared with 72% who felt the same way about national elections.
Over 90% of those polled rated their polling location somewhat or very positively on a range of metrics, including having enough poll workers and parking.
The poll was also conducted in 2020 and 2022. The latest survey cost the state agency $10,200, according to a spokesperson with Chernoff Newman.
The 2020 poll found just 60% of respondents were somewhat or very confident in national elections, a number that has grown steadily since, while confidence in the state elections has remained fairly consistent over the three polls.
Abraham Kenmore is a reporter covering elections, health care and more. He joins the S.C. Daily Gazette from The Augusta Chronicle, where he reported on Georgia legislators, military and housing issues. S.C. Daily Gazette is part of States Newsroom, the nation’s largest state-focused nonprofit news organization.
