Ashborough East 2 Leads County in Primary Turnout

Ashborough East 2 and Coosaw 2 precincts led the county with number of votes Saturday, while Givhans 2, Delemars and Patriot precincts has some of the lowest turnout in registered voters.

According to S.C. Votes, less than 18,000 Dorchester County voters — or 21.67 percent of registered voters here — participated in the S.C. GOP president preferential primary Saturday. 

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In Ashborough East, a whopping 44.96 percent of voters cast ballots. Turnout in Saul Dam was 31.03 perent, in Givhans, 32.84 percent, and in Coosaw 2, 37.47 percent. 

Delemars precinct had little over six percent turnout. Patriot saw eight percent of voters participate.

Givhans 2 had two voters particpate Saturday, with a .28 percent turnout. 

Newt Gingrich scored 6,588 votes in the county, or 36.77 percent of the vote. He was followed by Mitt Romney at 27.47 percent of the vote and Rick Santorum at 21.07 percent of the vote. Ron Paul got 12.82 percent of the vote. 

In the 2008 GOP preferential primary, 20.9 percent of voters in the county voted. In that same year's Democratic primary, 20.2 percent of voters in the county voted. 

The Dorchester County Board of Election and Voter Registration has not come up with a final tally of expenses, but estimates point to the primary costing "well under" the party's allowance, according to executive director, Joshua Dickard.

"We ran it barebones," Dickard said. With some precincts being added together at voting locations, there was little confusion among voters, he said.

The biggest confusion of Saturday turned out to be an event at the Cuthbert Center in Azalea Park, a former polling location. The event was unrelated to the primary, but led some voters to believe that the activity meant it was a polling location, Dickard said. 

But he described the day as "smooth" with no long lines. 

Dickard said the small percentage rise in turnout Saturday over the 2008 election could be Independent or Democratic voters voting in the election.

"They hear it's an election day and they go vote," Dickard said.

But he reminded Democratic voters in the county that voted Saturday, they . 

Dorchester County Democratic Party will have its meeting 10 a.m. March 3 at the in Summerville.