Whether it was the long lines, concern over wait-times, dreary weather or lack of enthusiasm about the ballot, something prevented Richland County voters from heading to the polls in 2012.
Despite voter registration soaring over the past four years by nearly 30,000 people, the actual number of votes cast in Tuesday's election was down more than 15,000 votes from 2008 — with two precincts remaining out.
That means 2012's voter turnout of 61.27 percent thus far will come nowhere close to 2008's turnout of 76.15 percent.
And that's despite more than 33,000 absentee ballots cast in the days leading up to the election.
Nine of the county's 124 precincts had voter turnout of more than 60 percent:
- Kilbourne Park Baptist Church
- River Springs Church
- Lake Murray Elementary School
- E.E. Taylor Elementary School
- Bethel Hanberry Elementary School
- Dutch Fork High School
- North Trenholm Baptist Church
- Ballentine Elementary School
- Blythewood Park
Meanwhile, seven precincts had voter turnout of under 35 percent:
- Marion Street Apartments
- Keels Elementary School
- Pinehurst Park
- Capital Senior Center
- David H. Swinton Campus Center
- Olympia Learning Center
- Lower Richland High School
