Voter registration office on Third Loop Road - Tonya Brown
Dozens waited in long lines to vote by absentee ballot Monday and Florence County surpassed the record for the number of people who voted absentee in the 2008 presidential election, according to Florence County Voter Registation Office Director David Alford.
So far, near 16,000 people have voted absentee compared to 12,000 in 2008, Alford says.
He expects more than 400 more people to vote absentee Monday.
Many people waited in long lines outside the voter registration office on Third Loop Road. Some say they didn't mind the wait because of the importance of this election.
Deputies had to direct traffic around the Voter Registration Office.
In Horry County, 14,250 absentee ballots were cast as of Friday, November 2. In the 2008 presidential election, about 13,000 voters cast absentee ballots.
Through Saturday, more than 21,000 people have voted absentee in Darlington, Dillon, Florence, Marion and Marlboro Counties.
Election officials say they don't expect the number of absentee ballots to have an impact on the timing of counting election results because the majority of people voted in person, on a machine, rather than sending in a paper ballot which would have to be counted by hand.
