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Jessica Nelms

Poll Manager Debbie Smith from district three and district one Poll Manager and Seneca City Councilman Al Gaines set up voting booths Monday at Shaver Recreation Cener in Seneca. The polls open Tuesday, Nov. 4, 2008 at 7 a.m.

It ends today … or at least it is supposed to.

By the time polls open at 7 a.m. in South Carolina, nearly one-third of those expected to vote across the country will have already cast ballots, using early voting and absentee forms to begin the end of the longest and most expensive election campaign in U.S. history.

More than one million people voted early in neighboring North Carolina, and in Florida, over three million ballots had been cast before this Election Day dawned.

Every indication has been that this election, which began with primaries and caucuses some 22 months ago, will attract record numbers of people to the polls … perhaps as many as 140 million. In South Carolina, the numbers have also been impressive, particularly in Oconee County.

As of 10 a.m. Monday, more than 300,000 absentee ballots were on the books statewide with 6,724 of them in Oconee County and 4,324 in Pickens County. Both local numbers represent huge increases over previous elections. More than 308,000 new voters were registered statewide for this election.

As if the duration of this campaign was not enough, the men atop both major party tickets have prompted massive interest. Democrat Barack Obama is the first black man to lead a major party ticket, and Republican John McCain has had to buck the stigma of the current administration by touting a platform of "change." McCain also hiked voter interest by his selection of Alaska Governor Sarah Palin as his running mate.

Although most polls gave Obama a clear lead in the race for electoral college votes going into today's balloting, McCain's campaign cited the fact that margins in several key, undecided states, had closed in the final two weeks leading up to today's vote.

At the national level, incumbent Republican Senator Lindsey Graham is expected to win re-election. Graham cast an absentee vote in Walhalla today and then flew west to join McCain in an eleventh hour whirlwind tour. If Graham does return to the senate, he will likely find fewer of his GOP mates as several were expected to be beaten in a surge of Democratic voting today. Graham's Democratic challenger, Bob Conley, was stumping across the state Monday, predicting he would be holding a retirement party for Graham tonight.

At the state level, incumbent Republican Thomas Alexander is being challenged by Constitution Party candidate Polly Nicolay, while her fellow Constitution Party member, Susie Cornelius, is taking on Oconee County Treasurer Greg Nowell. Pickens County Senator Larry Martin is unopposed after winning a GOP primary in June.

While Republican State Representatives Bill Whitmire (Walhalla) and Bill Sandifer (Seneca) are unopposed, B.R. Skelton in Pickens County and Don Bowen, who represents Anderson and a small portion of Oconee County, both face Democratic challengers.

County Races

At the local level, races for school board of trustee seats in both Oconee and Pickens counties have prompted a good deal of interest.

In Oconee County's District 5, incumbent Harry Mays is ending a 22-year run on the board and is not seeking re-election. Three candidates are vying for his seat, including former elected Oconee School Superintendent Buddy Herring, who is taking on Seth Chea and Terry Schiazza. Also in Oconee, incumbent Ken Poston has been engaged in an active campaign against District 4 challenger Rosemary Bailes.

In Pickens County, maverick board member Alex Saitta is being opposed in the third district by Selena Brinson. Saitta is touting his solo vote against a $315 million building program approved by the board in 2007 as cause for re-election. In District 5, another vacancy is being sought by a trio of candidates: Dale Cantrell, Essie Clark and Judy Edwards.

Also at the county level, Pickens County voters will be deciding a contested sheriff's race between 40-year incumbent Republican C. David Stone and Democratic challenger Robert Crooks. Pickens voters in Council District 3 will also be deciding a contested race that features former NFL player and coach Sam Wyche on the GOP ticket against Heyward Wesley Burbage for the Democrats.

In addition to the treasurer race in Oconee, two County Council seats are up for grabs with zoning, spending and fire protection being the hot button issues. In District 5, Reg Dexter, who unseated incumbent Frank Ables in June, is battling Democrat Dick Hughes, while in the Westminster district, businessman Joel Thrift is representing the Republican Party against former educator and Democrat Bryan Jenkins. GOP incumbent Marion Lyles has chosen not to seek re-election.

Polls will be open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Anyone in line at 7 p.m. will be allowed to vote.