Turnout strong in Dorchester County

A Berkeley County polling place that remained locked two hours after voting started and confusion over state House and Senate district lines in southern Charleston County topped local primary day headaches.

Lines at polls were extremely rare, but a few Summerville sites experienced morning queues up to 30-deep.

"One gentleman was here at 6:30 (a.m.)," said Drayton Maner-Prialeau, poll manager at the Cuthbert Community Center polling place

The turnout appeared to be slow but steady in Berkeley and Charleston counties, with few lines reported at the polls.

There were only about two dozen Republicans and Democrats who had voted at Charleston Progressive School at Meeting and Ann streets by 1:30 p.m.

Charleston County election officials were kept busy this morning because of confusion over House and Senate district boundary lines at polling places in the southern part of the county.

Also, poll workers who lacked a key to open the National Guard Armory in Moncks Corner unfolded voting machines outdoors to provide sidewalk balloting service until the building could be opened about two hours late.

Melody Goggin, a clerk with the Berkeley County Registration and Elections board, said the poll worker with the key to the armory in Moncks Corner was not there when the polls opened at 7 a.m., but was later located and came to the scene.

No voters were turned away. The poll workers "were able to set the machines up and did what they were supposed to do," Goggin said.

The armory was unlocked about 9 a.m., clerk Janet Austin said.

Charleston County Board of Elections and Voter Registration Executive Director Marilyn Bowers said voting machine technicians were busy early in the day but all machines were reported up and running.

The biggest problem stemmed from confusion over House and Senate districts in St. Paul's Parish, which includes Hollywood, Meggett and Ravenel

She said that in most cases, dividing lines between House and Senate districts fit together, but the Hollywood area has the most "splits" of district lines in the county. One polling place in Hollywood "has five different ballot styles to choose from," Bowers said.

Bowers said she spent the morning in the Hollywood area, sorting out confusion among poll workers and voters over lines dividing state House and Senate districts. "I went to all the locations before noon and got them straightened out," she said.

One voter in St. Paul's left the polling place without voting but said he would return later, she said. Bowers said she hopes the state Legislature will draw more sensible lines for 2010.

She said elsewhere in Charleston County, some poll managers reported occasional problems at polling places due to misunderstandings of the law regarding campaigning at or near them. "Some people are not really sure what's allowed and what's not allowed," she said.

She said candidates can stand inside the normal 200-foot limit around a polling place. "They just can't hand you a card or anything in writing" inside the limit, she said. She said candidates can wear a button identifying themselves and promoting their candidacy, but their poll watchers are prohibited from doing so.

Some candidates wanted poll watchers to greet voters but they're not allowed to do that, Bowers said.

"You are not allowed to interfere with voters," she said. "You are there to watch."

Dorchester County is the first in the state to use new "laptop" computer voting machines. "It's working out great," Dorchester County Elections Commission Director Kathy Worthington said. "I am loving it."

Worthington said an issue arose at a polling place when the wrong sample ballot was displayed, alarming some candidates and their supporters when they noticed names missing, she said.

"The poll manager just grabbed the wrong ballot to put on the wall," Worthington said. She said the incorrect sample ballot was quickly replaced by the proper one.

The polls closed at 7 p.m.

Check back later with Charleston.net for more on this story and other election news, including results when they become available, along with photos and video. Read Wednesday's Post and Courier for more coverage.

Robert Behre contributed to this report.