By Lisa Anderson
COLUMBIA, SC–Primary Day dawned misty here in the state capitol, but the weatherman promises sunny skies and temps in the low 50’s for most of the state today.
That’s a far better scenario than the sleet, snow and rain that greeted Republican voters going to their primary polls a week ago and served to depress turnout 22 percent from the all-time high of 573,000 in 2000.
The last time the Democrats had a primary vote was in 2004, when about 290,000 people voted. Although voters are not registered by party, it’s estimated that Republicans outnumber Democrats by about two to one.
But, given the historic candidacies of Obama and Clinton in this race, enthusiasm is running high on the Democratic side and state party officials say there could be a record turnout of as many as 350,000 voters.
Another sign of interest: state election officials report that 32,000 absentee ballots have been issued in the state for today’s primary compared to about 22,000 issued for the GOP contest on Jan. 19.
With African Americans expected to make up at least half of primary voters, a heavy turnout could boost Illinois Sen. Barack Obama, who has been gaining strength in that community.
On the other hand, women, both black and white, are among the most reliable of primary voters and a strong turnout among them could favor New York Sen. Hillary Clinton, who has seen her African American support drop in recent days, even as she gained among white voters.
The polls opened at 7 a.m. and will close at 7 p.m.