Emily Patrick, Eric Connor, Scott Keeler, Michael Burns, Anna Lee, Nathaniel Cary, and Ron Barnett

The Greenville News

Polls are open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. in South Carolina as voters select a Democratic candidate to run for president. The ballot offers four choices: former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont, Martin O'Malley, former governor of Maryland, and Dr. Willie Wilson, a Chicago businessman. Check this page for regular updates.

Will voter turnout exceed the 2008 Democratic primary? - 8:26 p.m.

In 2008, the South Carolina electorate set a record when 532,151 cast ballots in the Democratic primary. That figure represented 23.7 percent of the electorate.

Will this year’s race break that record?

The state election commission is still counting ballots. As of this writing, 164,339 have been counted. Twelve counties have been completely reported and 17 have been partially reported.

Clinton delivers victory speech - 8:07 p.m.

In her 17-minute victory speech after the South Carolina Democratic primary, Hillary Clinton delivered a speech that promised support for entrepreneurs, teachers, mothers and communities.



“Despite what you hear, we don’t need to make America great again. America has never stopped being great,” she said, echoing the slogan of Donald Trump, frontrunner for the Republican nomination.

“But we do need to make America whole again,” she said. “Instead of building walls, we need to be tearing down barriers. We need to show by everything we do that we really are in this together.”

She called for new investments in manufacturing, small business and clean energy.

She praised the resilience of Black Lives Matter activists, naming several mothers of victims of racially charged gun violence.

“They have channeled their sorrow into a strategy and their mourning into a movement, and they are reminding us of something deep and powerful in the American spirit,” she said.

Clinton comes on early - 7:45 p.m.

Clinton will speak at 8 p.m. in Columbia - 7:27 p.m.

Hillary Clinton will deliver her victory speech for the South Carolina Democratic primary from the University of South Carolina Volleyball Center. Doors opened at 7 p.m.

The Associated Press calls the race for Clinton - 7:00 p.m.

No precincts had reported votes when the news outlet called the race at 7 p.m. The declaration is based on exit polls.

The margin of Clinton's victory will become clear as precincts continue to submit results to the State Elections Commission.

In the South Carolina contest, the question Clinton needs to answer has not been if she will win — pollsters have long predicted her victory — but by how much.

A strong showing in South Carolina will give her momentum as she prepares for primaries and caucuses in 11 states on March 1, Super Tuesday.

Some say any victory bodes well for Clinton.

“I expect a win in South Carolina would mean the Super Tuesday races and the others in the month of March would be strong for Hillary,” said former SC Gov. Jim Hodges, the state’s last Democrat governor and a Clinton backer, in an earlier interview with the Greenville News.

However, a narrow victory for Clinton could demonstrate Sanders' populist appeal and boost him in the Super Tuesday races instead.

Voter turnout will also reflect on Clinton's potential. If this race exceeds 2008 turnout, it's a testament to her appeal. By the same token, low numbers would signify dispassion.

Voters set a record in 2008 when 23.7 percent of the electorate voted in the South Carolina Democratic primary. In Greenville County, 19.2 percent of the electorate participated.

Anecdotal accounts suggest voter turnout was strong in Greenville County — one downtown precinct reported 31 percent voter turnout at 2 p.m. — but lower throughout the state.

"The general tune is low and light turnout," said Chris Whitemire of the State Election Commission at approximately 2 p.m. "I would think there are pockets of moderate turnout and better turnout … Overall, it would be low or light – slow.”

However, a higher percentage of black voters turned out for this race than in 2008, according to an exit poll from the Associated Press.

This year, 6 out of 10 voters were black, according to the exit poll. In 2008, that figure was 55 percent.

CNN says black turnout higher than 2008 - 6:25 p.m.

An exit poll conducted by CNN says 6 out of 10 voters in the South Carolina Democratic primary were black, up from 55 percent in 2008.

How that figure relates to voter turnout is unclear. In 2008, the electorate set a South Carolina record when 23.7 percent of registered voters turned out at the polls.

See the poll, which reveals a number of other details about the electorate, here.

Polls close in one hour - 6:00 p.m.

There's still time to cast a ballot in South Carolina's Democratic primary. Polls close in one hours, but voters who are in line when the clock strikes 7 p.m. will be allowed to cast a ballot.

Friends make sure friends vote - 5:41 p.m.

Simpsonville residents worked together to get out the vote Saturday, reminding their friends and providing rides to boost voter turnout.

One woman in Simpsonville said she needed to go home and make sure her husband got through with work on their roof in time to vote.

Another man drove his elderly relative to the poll so she could cast her vote curbside for Clinton.

And before going in to vote at Simpsonville Community Center, Percival Montgomery left a voicemail encouraging a friend to get to the poll and cast a vote for Sanders.

At Simpsonville Community Center, 112 voters had cast ballots by 2 p.m. In a sampling of eight voters, the results were split evenly between Clinton and Sanders.

At Calvary Baptist Church, poll workers said 170 voters had streamed steadily through the doors by 3:30 p.m. Nine people told Greenville News they voted for Clinton, and six said they voted for Sanders.

A married couple disagrees - 4:54 p.m.

As they visited the polls today, Greenville News reporters encountered lots of couples who shared views on the candidates. David and Becky Bridges of Powdersville (below) voted for Clinton. Scott and Phyllis Singleton voted for Sanders.

But Adam and Courtney Crisp of Simpsonville disagree.

"I don't trust Hillary," said Courtney Crisp, who called it a no-brainer for her to choose Sanders.

Her husband didn't share her view.

"With Hillary, I think she's been there before and I think on national security she knows a lot of these leaders and I feel more confident in her keeping us safe," he said.

Voters weigh pragmatism and idealism - 4:45 p.m.

Several Greenville voters cast Hillary Clinton as a practical choice while acknowledging the abstract appeal of Sanders' values during Saturday's primary.

A 58-year-old real estate developer said he voted for Clinton because she’s the candidate most likely to win the general election.

Sanders is ”very honest, and that’s a rarity in politics,” but “Clinton is more of a practical vote.,” said the developer, who cast his ballot at Springfield Baptist Church in downtown Greenville.

Paula Caatterall (see below) made a similar point.

"Bernie's idealism is exciting, but Hillary is more realistic," she said after casting her vote a West End Community Development Center this morning.

But for some, the same thought pattern led to the opposite decision.

Donna Wyman and daughter Leah were still undecided at the beginning of the weekend but wound up voting for Sanders at Springfield Baptist Church.

Clinton is “equipped to be president, and I think it would be exciting to have a woman president,” Donna Wyman said. “But at the end of the day, it comes down to character and values.”

Sanders has “integrity and values that he believes in,” she said.

Leah Wyman added: "With Clinton, there’s “always been an undercurrent of self-promotion.”

More on Republicans for Sanders - 4:09 p.m.

Seven Greenville News journalists have been out at the polls today, and we've met lots of former Republicans pulling for Sanders (scroll down to read more about them). We started looking for former Republican Clinton supporters. We haven't found any yet, but if you are one, send an email to epatrick@citizen-times.com.

Current and former Republicans for Sanders aren't just a South Carolina phenomenon. The Republicans for Bernie Sanders Facebook page is 23,000 strong. Time magazine and The Atlantic have also chronicled the Republican affinity for the democratic socialist.

David Bridges of Powdersville reflected on the phenomenon while at the polls on Saturday. He said he's heard some Republicans say that if Sanders gets the Democratic nomination and Donald Trump becomes the Republicans’ choice, they’ll vote for Sanders.

His wife, Becky Bridges, connected the oft-used Tea Party rhetoric about the founding fathers to the Sanders campaign.

“I think Bernie has more of an idea of what really our founding fathers had planned for our country to be rather than what it’s become, where we have the elite and (everybody else)," she said.

The Bridges' voted for Clinton, despite their interest in Sanders.

See the data like a journalist - 3:19 p.m.

In less than four hours, results of the South Carolina Democratic primary will start rolling out, as well as information about voter turnout. If you're already following the Greenville News, then you know this website is the place to get the results information you need. But if you want to know more, go to the source.

The State Election Commission uses an online tool called Election Night Reporting to release ballot results as each precinct reports them. It includes a map that shows how each county voted. If you compare that map to a map of congressional districts, you can get an idea of how the delegate allocation will shake out as the results come in.

Click here to access Election Night Reporting. Remember, precincts don't begin reporting until 7 p.m.

Voters weigh candidates' civil rights records - 2:58 p.m.

In South Carolina, the black vote is crucial. 55 percent of voters in the 2008 Democratic primary identified as black, and one of the major questions of this election is whether Sanders can wrest some of the black vote from Clinton.

A CNN/ORC International said 65 percent of black voters in South Carolina support Clinton, whereas 28 percent support Sanders.

But in Greenville County, voters are citing Sanders' record on civil rights as a strength.

Mike Austin, a 34-year-old black voter in downtown Greenville, cast a ballot for Sanders because of his civil rights record and because he is a "man of the people," he said.

Mariel Hunkeler, another downtown voter, said she would put her support behind Clinton if nominated but that she voted for Sanders.

She pointed to his activism during the Civil Rights movement.

"He really has the heart of the people at its core," she said.

Easley voter Hunter Singleton (see below) also said Sanders' civil rights work is part of his appeal.

Sanders' racial activism in the '60s while he was a student at the University of Chicago has been one of the talking points of his cmapaign. A TV ad that aired in South Carolina referenced this experience.

Turnout high in downtown Greenville - 2:27 p.m.

Voter turnout was particularly high in downtown Greenville on Saturday during the Democratic Primary.

At 2 p.m., 31 percent of voters in Greenville's precinct 10 had visited Springfield Baptist Church and cast a ballot.

That's well above the 2008 Democratic primary turnout record for Greenville County, about 19 percent.

That number is an outlier statewide.

"Overall, it would be low or light – slow," said Chris Whitmire at the State Election Commission.

Absentee ballots reported first - 2:15 p.m.

When the polls close tonight at 7 p.m., absentee ballots will provide some of the earliest results, according to Chris Whitmire of the State Election Commission.

Absentee ballots are on the rise in South Carolina. Whitmire's office has already collected 53,000 from around the state, and he expects more to come in before the deadline at 7 p.m.

These ballots are South Carolina's de facto version of early voting, he explained. Voters are finding out about the early voting process from Georgia and North Carolina and looking to replicate the flexible system here.

“As voters find out about that, they see it as a better option," he said. "Why go to my polling pace and potentially encounter a line?"

Paper absentee ballots aren't difficult to process in the primaries. Although the 2016 number of absentee ballots is expected to be about 60 percent higher than the 2012 number of absentee ballots, 35,000, that number is still low compared to a general election, Whitmire explained. Voters filed about 400,000 absentee ballots in the 2012 general election.

South Carolina voters filed 60,000 absentee ballots in last weekend's Republican primary.

About 7,000 election officials and poll workers are involved with the primary today. They'll be the ones tallying those ballots, county by county.

More former Republicans vote for Sanders - 1:25 p.m.

Scott and Phyllis Singleton said they usually vote Republican, but they went to Pendleton Street Baptist Church in Easley to cast their ballots Saturday for Bernie Sanders.

Their son, Hunter, a graduate student at Winthrop, came home to vote for the first time – also for the senator from Vermont.

Phyllis, a 50-year-old homemaker, said she likes Sanders, “Because he’s for everybody. All people. For the little man.”

For her husband, it was more of a vote against Hillary Clinton – and against Republican frontrunner Donald Trump.

“I’m scared of Trump. I’m scared of his politics. He never really tells you anything,” the 56-year-old diesel mechanic said. “It’s just rhetoric, it’s nothing concrete. I’m just scared of what he might do.”

As far as Sanders goes, he said, “I like Bernie, he’s a nice man. But more so I voted to keep Hillary out. I don’t want Hillary in. She has a lot of power, and I’m tired of the Clintons being in politics.”

Their son said he considers himself an independent but he started researching Sanders a few months ago and was impressed with his history in civil rights, and he liked him in the debates.

And, “I’m not a huge Hillary fan,” he said.

He said he doesn’t trust her and is disturbed by the Benghazi incident and the emails issue. He doesn’t like that she was opposed to gay marriage until 2010.

Elections staff staying busy; too soon to call turnout - 1:04 p.m.

Lunchtime is a busy hour for voters and poll workers, said Conway Belangia, director of the Greenville County Registration & Elections Commission.

He said the phones are backed up at his office.

He said voter turnout is "about what I expected ... It’s still concentrated in those prime areas."

There's a chance this election could break the record set by the 2008 Democratic primary, when 19.2 percent of voters came out, he said.

Voter turnout set a statewide record for the Republican party last weekend when 25 percent of registered voters cast a ballot.

Age is a factor for some SC voters - 12:44 p.m.

When it comes to presidents, Clinton and Sanders are old, and age matters to some voters.

At 69, Ronald Reagan was the oldest president every elected. The average age of a president at ascension is 54 years and 11 months.

Sanders will be 75 on election day, and Clinton will be 69.

For Georgia Gamble, 82, who cast her vote in the Democratic primary Saturday at Pendleton Street Baptist Church in Easley, 75 is just too old for a president.

“(Sanders) is good, but I think with his age, it would be difficult for him to get around seeing about different things and how they’re running," she said.

She opted to vote for Clinton.

“I think she’s more qualified," Gamble said. "And she’s for all.”

Voters choose Clinton as a legacy decision - 12:15 p.m.

Some voters cite a desire to contribute to history as their reason for choosing Hillary Clinton, who would be the first female president if elected.

During the 2008 election, Adrius Cason remembers going to the polls with his parents to witness the historic election that appointed the first black president.

Today, the 19-year-old Greenville Tech st

udent said he cast his vote for Clinton in hopes that he can play a more active part in history.

"It would make history for a woman to be president," he said.

Despite his choice, Sanders appealed to him because of the promise of free college.

"Most people from my neighborhood don't go to college," he said.

Cason is studying to be an EMT.

In Greer, voters switch parties - 11:50 a.m.

Of the 10 voters who discussed their votes with the Greenville News at Riverside High School in Greer, two had revised their political leanings from Republican to Democrat in recent years.

And they didn't just shift left. They shifted way left, casting votes for Sanders, a self-described

democratic socialist, on Saturday.

Sanders supporter Steve Cook, a single father and former member of the U.S. Air Force voted for George W. Bush in his first term.

“To me it’s about the big picture,” Cook said. “Show me the humanity. That’s all that really matters.”

Another voter, Leigh Vint, voted Republican until about five years ago. Saturday, she was at the polls to support Sanders.

“He’s not for sale,” she said. “I have a lot of admiration for somebody who’s willing to stand up to the things that I think are wrong with our government today.”

Her daughter, Cynthia Vint, accompanied her and also cast a ballot for Sanders.

Of the 10 voters, six voted for Bernie Sanders, and four voted for Clinton.

Fountain Inn sees an early turnout - 11:20 a.m.

Poll manager Caitlin Thompson was surprised by the early turnout at the Younts Center for the Performing Arts.

At 9:15 a.m., just over two hours after the Fountain Inn 1 precinct opened, Thompson was already sure this election is going well.

"It's way more than I predicted, which is very good for a primary," said Thompson, who's volunteered at the polls since 2008. "It's really good compared to past years."

Robert Dial of Fountain Inn was one of the voters who took part in that sizable turnout. He said he voted for Clinton because "she's a fair, honest woman."

Clinton supporter Robert Smiley added: "She stands up for what is right."

Johnnie Stokes Sr. said Clinton's view on race relations were the top reason he voted for her.

Fountain Inn's Desiree Dumas was joined by her 7-year-old daughter to cast her voted for Sanders. Dumas said it wasn't an easy decision.

"I've been teetering. My candidate has been Hillary, but Sanders doesn't seem to have as many negatives," Dumas said. "I like his finances. Hillary's been good, but there's some stigma with me, even with the Black Lives Matter movement."

Dumas said she was thinking ahead to the general election when she cast her vote.

"I want to give (Sanders) my support, but I think Hillary's going to win. I just want somebody to beat Donald Trump."

Mauldin support for Clinton and Sanders - 11:02 a.m.

At Mauldin First Baptist Church on Main Street, 92-year-old Virginia Bryant was in a celebratory mood after casting her vote for Clinton.

"I feel like she's so smart and so wise. I've asked the Lord to let me live long enough to get in here and vote and it's so great," Bryant said. "I wish I could bring a sign for Hillary."

Bryant's daughter Ginny also voted for Clinton.

"I loved her husband Bill. I tend to be more of a middle-of-the-road Democrat, and I feel that she tends to lean more toward wha

t I believe," Ginny Bryant said. "I don't want an extremist in any way. I think she's someone who will protect us."

Mauldin's Gerald Lumpkins said Sanders has been his candidate from the beginning.

"His platform is everything we need in this country to keep moving forward," Lumpkins said. "I like the idea that nothing's impossible ... The number one issue for me is income disparity."

The Greenville News spoke with 10 voters at Mauldin 3 precinct, which polls at Mauldin First Baptist Church. Four revealed their choices: two for Clinton, two for Sanders.

Candidate roll call - 10:30 a.m.

So where exactly are these people for whom South Carolina is casting ballots on this beautiful sunny day? They're not here, although Clinton will return tonight.

Sanders was in Orangeburg yesterday but has since departed for Minnesota, which holds its primary on March 1, Super Tuesday.

Clinton is also focused on the Super Tuesday contest, it seems. She's spending the day in Georgia and Alabama, March 1 primary states.

Tonight, she'll watch the results of the primary at the University of South Carolina Volleyball Center in Columbia. Doors open at 7 p.m.

For more information about Clinton's appearance, click here.

Voters at West End Community Development Center make the case for Hillary - 10:01 a.m.

Paula Catterall said her choice was set early for Hillary Clinton.

Caterrall, a 52-year-old compliance auditor, said she had taken a widely shared online quiz that suggested which candidate a voter identifies with ideologically.

The results pointed her toward Bernie Sanders. Although her heart is with Sanders, she said, a politician's ability to get policies implemented is her main concern.

"I believe out of all the candidates, (Clinton) can work with the other side," she said. "Bernie's idealism is exciting, but Hillary is more realistic."

Steve Farnsworth, who describes himself as a retired outdoorsman, said voted for Clinton for similarly pragmatic reasons.

"I don't believe Bernie is electable," he said, explaining that he thinks Sanders' democratic socialist platform will alienate moderate voters in the general election.

He said free college, which Sanders has proposed, is problematic.

Board of Elections confirms provisional ballots an option - 9:38 a.m.

Conway Belangia, director of the Greenville County Registration & Elections Commission, said voters should be able to fill out provisional ballots at the polls if they are registered in that precinct.

However, voters who do not sign the reasonable impediment affidavit (see below) will still have to come to Greenville County Square this week. He recommends voters come to the elections commission today so they can obtain a photo ID and cast an electronic ballot, “killing two birds with one stone," he said.

An employee at the elections commission who wished to remain unnamed said, “We’ve had a couple of people come down to change their address and voted here."

You can still cast a ballot, even if you forgot your ID - 9:23 a.m.

South Carolina has a voter ID law, but registered voters can still cast a ballot in the precinct in which they are registered no matter what.

People with reasonable impediments to obtaining an ID can cast a ballot at a polling place after signing an affidavit (see below).

"If you do not have a photo ID and do not have a reasonable impediment to obtaining one, or you simply forgot to bring it with you to the polls, you may still vote a paper provisional ballot," according to the Greenville County website. "However, for your vote to be counted, you must provide one of the photo IDs to the Greenville County Registration & Elections Commission prior to certification of the election (usually Thursday or Friday after the election)."

Strong turnout at West End Community Development Center - 9:12 a.m.

By 9 a.m., turnout at the West End Community Development Center on Vardry Street near downtown Greenville has already exceeded the number of voters that showed up during last Saturday's GOP primary.

Poll workers are reporting that some people who recently registered at the state Department of Motor Vehicles are showing up but aren't on the voter rolls.

These voters are still allowed to cast ballots, as are voters who don't have photo IDs.

According to the South Carolina Election Commission's website, voters who come to a polling place without a photo ID should be able to fill out a provisional ballot if they are registered in that precinct after signing an affidavit stating there is a reasonable impediment to obtaining Photo ID.

Reasonable impediments include a disability or illness, a conflict with your work schedule, a lack of transportation, a lack of a birth certificate, family responsibilities, a religious objection to being photographed, any other obstacle you find reasonable, according to the election commission website.

This ballot will count unless someone proves to the election commission that you are lying about your identity or having

the listed impediment, according to the election commission website.

Support for Sanders and Clinton in Botany Springs - 8:18 a.m.

Voters cast ballots for Sen. Bernie Sanders and Hillary Clinton in Botany Springs. Veteran's issues, union right, senior and childcare issues, and poverty brought them to the polls.

"I came out to support Bernie Sanders today," said Bob Stoddard, a Vietnam War veteran. "If he doesn't have much opposition from the Republicans, which I fully expect, I honestly believe he's going to make it easier for the workplace to organize in this country, which is a right."

Stoddard, who is 70 years old, has been part of the National Association of Letter Carriers for 40 years, he explained.

He said he admires the way Sanders has activated younger voters.

"That's the future of the country," he said. "I think they really like what they hear from him. They're tired of the status quo — the fact that when they're born, they can finish college and still have the same representatives in congress."

Shirley Wood said she thought Sanders and Clinton presented similar platforms, but she decided to cast her vote for the later.

"I think the senior citizens, there's a lot dealing with the senior citizens and the children and the poor in need," she said.

The polarized election is somewhat alarming to her, she explained. She's repulsed by what she calls "mouth bashing," but she trusts the three branches of government to create balance.

"They still have the house and senate to deal with," she said of whoever gets the nomination.

Perfect weather for the primary - 7:36 a.m.

There is no reason not to leave the house today, weather-wise. The forecast will not be a negative factor in voter turnout in South Carolina — unless voters are simply too busy sunning themselves to get to the polls.

In Greenville, it's a clear, sunny day. The low temperature is 34 degrees, and the high, expected in late afternoon, is 57 degrees.

Across the state, the weather is similar. Highs and lows in Rock Hill, Colombia, Myrtle Beach and Charleston are within a few degrees of the Greenville forecasts. A few clouds have been reported in Colombia and Myrtle Beach, but the chance of precipitation across the state remains at or below 1 percent.

Polls are open in South Carolina - 7 a.m.

Polls are open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. in South Carolina as voters select a Democratic candidate to run for president. The ballot offers four choices: former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont, Martin O'Malley, former governor of Maryland, and Dr. Willie Wilson, a Chicago businessman.

Voters who cast a ballot in last weekend's Republican primary are ineligible to vote today. All voters should bring a valid photo ID with them to the polls.

For a list of polling places in Greenville County, click here. If you are not sure which precinct you are in, check your voter registration information here.

Six polling locations have temporarily moved for this primary season. For a list of changes, click here.

The South Carolina Democratic Party will allocate its 53 convention delegates based on the results of Saturday's voting. (South Carolina's additional six unpledged Party Leader and Elected Official delegates can support whomever they wish regardless of the vote.)

Candidates need 2,382 total delegates to win the nomination at the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia on July 25-28.