"If you want to color, we have crayons and coloring books over there," said poll worker Connee Merwin, pointing to the far left corner of the sign-in table as voters entered the Grand Strand Church of Christ polling site in Surfside Beach.
Along with a creative outlet, voters and their children can choose two other freebies: chocolate chip cookies and purple slips of paper with the Horry County Voter Registration phone number.
Merwin said she printed the slips out on her home computer just in case voters had questions while at the polls. She also said she and her fellow volunteers were more than prepared for today's Democratic primary after working through last week's Republican primary voting machine problems.
"This time, we came with reams of paper, 1,000 envelopes, tape," she said.
Posted at 08:08 AM in 2008 Presidential Race, Democrats, Horry County, Surfside Beach, Voting | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBack (0)
No machine problems in Surfside Beach
Voters trickling into the Lakewood Elementary School polling site in Surfside Beach found electronic voting machines up and working well at 7 a.m., much to the relief of poll workers.
''We're smiling,'' said poll worker Marion MacDonald. "I prayed hard. As long as I've done this, 14 years, we've never had problems with this."
Coffee percolated in one corner of the school's cafeteria, while snacks lined a table behind the voter sign-in station.
"We hope it goes better today," said poll worker Elaine Steiner.
Posted at 07:26 AM in 2008 Presidential Race, Democrats, Horry County Democratic Party, Primary Date, S.C. Democratic Party, Surfside Beach, Voting | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
January 19, 2008
Polling sites out of paper ballots
Several people have called The Sun News this morning to complain that they were not able to vote this morning because paper ballots were not available when the electronic voting machines malfunctioned.
Marie VanMeter of Surfside Beach was told when she went to her polling station at Lakewood Elementary School, ''They said they were out of ballots and none of the machines were working in Surfside. They had everyone write down their phone number and that they would call us when we could vote.''
She added, ''What an injustice to those candidates.''
Several other people have called to say that polling stations in Surfside Beach were out of paper ballots.
Having trouble voting? E-mail us your experiences along with your name and phone number. And, of course, add your comment on the blog.
Posted at 12:00 PM in 2008 Presidential Race, GOP, Surfside Beach, Voting | Permalink | Comments (5) | TrackBack (0)
January 18, 2008
Local politics still moving forward
It might seem that anyone with any political ambition is running off and devoting all their time and energy to the presidential race, but here back home we still have town council races to think about.
Today was the last day for candidates to sign up to run for mayor or city council in Surfside Beach.
Three are in the race for mayor: Roy Hyman, the current mayor, Sammy Truett, a councilman, and Allen Deaton, who was previously on the council and then in 2004 ran unsuccessfully for the state House seat won by Nelson Hardwick.
There are three open seats on council, and the following people have signed up to run: current council members Rebecca Hiatt and Judy Tuttle, and challengers Vicki Blair, Bob Childs, William Dempfer, Mark Johnson and Randall Stevens.
The election is on April 8.
Posted at 06:46 PM in Local Politics, Surfside Beach | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBack (0)
January 09, 2008
Thompson plans stops in Conway, MB, Surfside
Presidential hopeful Fred Thompson, the former Tennessee senator staking his bid for the White House on a strong showing in South Carolina's Jan. 21 Jan. 19 Republican primary, has four stops in the area planned on his statewide bus tour.
At 2:15 p.m. today, Thompson will park at the corner of Third Avenue and Elm Street in Conway and walk the downtown, said spokesman Joshua Gross.
At 4:30 p.m., Thompson will be in North Myrtle Beach at the Fuddrucker's restaurant, 10435 N Kings Highway.
After Thursday night's Republican debate, Thompson will make two more local stops before getting out on the road. At 10 a.m. Friday, he'll be at Surfside Jenny's, 1013 Glenns Bay Road, Surfside Beach.
He'll meet and greet folks along Front Street in Georgetown on Friday after his visit in Surfside Beach. Details of the time and location are pending.
Posted at 11:33 AM in 2008 Presidential Race, Conway, Fred Thompson, GOP, Myrtle Beach, Surfside Beach | Permalink | Comments (21) | TrackBack (0)
January 04, 2008
Presidential candidates invited to discuss coastal issues
Presidential candidates attending the Republican and Democratic debates have been invited to meet with the five mayors of the Grand Strand's coastal towns and cities and the chair of the Horry County
Council, representing the Grand Strand Coastal Alliance, to discuss common issues with them, according to a news release from the city of North Myrtle Beach.
Members of the Grand Strand Coastal Alliance will be available from 2 to 4 p.m. Jan.10, the day of the Republican Party debate, at the media tent adjacent to the Myrtle Beach Convention Center, the news release said. The Alliance is planning to do the same for the Democratic debate Jan. 21. A time and location will be announced in the near future, the release said.
Members of the Grand Strand Coastal Alliance sent a letter to each candidate inviting them to meet with Alliance members and asking for their assistance and attention to several key issues that affect the coastal region, the state of South Carolina and the Southeast.
The letter to the presidential candidates targets five critical issues: global warming, transportation, beach renourishment, the Intracoastal Waterway, and ocean access for people with physical handicaps, the release said.
For more information, please contact John Smithson, city manager of North Myrtle Beach, at 280-5526 or Nicole Aiello, public information officer of North Myrtle Beach, at 280-5612.
Posted at 05:56 PM in 2008 Presidential Race, Atlantic Beach, Debate, Democrats, GOP, Horry County, Myrtle Beach, North Myrtle Beach, Surfside Beach | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBack (0)
November 07, 2007
Does the Grand Strand hold a special place in state lawmakers' hearts?
No, but it should, members of the local legislative delegation told area mayors and city council members at a Wednesday night meeting.
“There’s nobody else like the Grand Strand in the state,” said state Rep. Nelson Hardwick, R-Surfside Beach. “They (other areas) have gotten far too comfortable eating off our plate.”
The dinner meeting at the Train Depot was nominally about upcoming laws of concern to city officials – the agenda mentioned annexation and immigration, for example – but concentrated on one upcoming measure that would limit cities’ ability to spend property tax money.
The mayors and council members were concerned, they said, because their ability to cope with future challenges could be hampered, even though they have been fiscally responsible. Myrtle Beach has not seen a tax hike in years, while North Myrtle Beach has even lowered taxes.
“We feel like we’re being punished for it,” said North Myrtle Beach Mayor Marilyn Hatley. “It’s definitely going to create some problems for us.”
Local lawmakers’ support of the bill is not a personal attack on area cities, the legislators responded: it is a political reality. Voters want tax relief and the governor and top legislators have a “top-down mentality of cut and save,” said state Sen. Luke Rankin, R-Myrtle Beach.
“What we’re hearing is that you’ve got a problem and therefore you can’t help us,” replied North Myrtle Beach Councilman Bob Cavanaugh. “You can’t just say there’s no answer.”
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