Unofficial results show 4% turnout in Saturday’s Democratic primary

CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCSC) - Unofficial election results from the South Carolina Election Commission showed low voter turnout during Saturday’s Democratic primary election.

In total, a little over 131,000 voters turned out, representing about 4% of registered voters.

This year’s numbers were down significantly from the 2020 election cycle, when 16% of registered voters came out to the polls. However, in 2020, the Democratic presidential nominee was not considered decided, whereas in 2024, President Joe Biden carried 96% of the vote.

Larry Cook took the time to show up at the polls on Saturday.

“If you don’t vote then you’re accepting what everybody else thinks whether you agree with them or not,” he said.

Just three counties in South Carolina saw a voter turnout rate higher than 10%, two of which were in the Lowcountry: Orangeburg and Williamsburg.

Part of the concern this election cycle was a shift in polling locations, so voters were not quite sure where they needed to go to vote.

Democratic National Committee Chair Jaime Harrison spoke about the consolidation of polls here in the Palmetto State for this recent primary race calling it “disgusting” and saying that we should make voting in this country easier, not harder.