Economic woes, other issues boost turnout

However, the S.C. Election Commission reported very few problems at the polls.

Locally, turnout was heavy, buoyed by the all-Midlands race between Lexington’s Nikki Haley and Camden’s Vincent Sheheen for governor, and a controversial one-cent sales tax referendum in Richland County.

The number of people lining up for the polls promised to eclipse the 45 percent of registered S.C. voters who turned out for the 2006 off-year elections but likely would fall well short of the 75 percent who cast ballots in the historic 2008 presidential race, election officials said.

USC political science professor Robert Oldendick attributed the high interest statewide to anger over federal health care reform and stimulus spending.