York County logs 5,984 early voters on opening day

York County voters cast 5,984 early ballots Monday, Oct. 19, the first day of early voting for the Nov. 3 general election, more than tripling the opening-day total from the 2022 midterm.

The count placed York County fifth among South Carolina's 46 counties, according to preliminary figures from the S.C. State Elections Commission, as reported by YoCo News. Statewide, 97,968 voters cast early ballots that day, up 130 percent from the 2022 general election's opening day.

York County's total also more than doubled the 2,416 voters who turned out on the first day of early voting for the June 9 primary. It fell short of the 8,858 who voted on opening day of the 2024 presidential election.

The Fort Mill YMCA at The Complex drew 909 voters. That is a 51 percent jump from the 603 who voted at the Banks Street Gym, the town's early voting location in 2022. Carolinas Cornerstone, also in the Fort Mill area, recorded 1,071 voters.

Countywide, the Holiday Inn Rock Hill at Galleria Mall led all six sites with 1,411 voters. Imagine Church followed with 992, the Clinton College Library with 879 and the Fire Training Center of York County with 722.

York County is operating six early voting centers for the general election, double the three it ran for both the June primary and the 2022 general election. The added sites put polling closer to fast-growing communities in Fort Mill, Clover and a second Rock Hill location, WRHI reported.

York County accounted for about 6.1 percent of all early ballots cast statewide Oct. 19, up from 4.3 percent on the primary's opening day and 4 percent in 2022.

In 2024, the county made up about 7 percent of the statewide opening-day vote.

Alan Helms, York County director of voter registration and elections, told the Rock Hill Herald before polls opened that he expected the general election's early voting share to match or exceed the primary's 37 percent. "The voters have taken to early voting," Helms said in the Oct. 14 interview.

The comparisons come with caveats. The 2022 and 2024 general elections featured different statewide and national races than this year's ballot. York County has also added early voting sites since 2022, giving voters more locations closer to home.

Early voting runs through Saturday, Oct. 31. Centers are open 8:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Saturday and closed Sundays. Voters must bring a valid photo ID. Locations and hours are listed at scvotes.gov. Election Day is Tuesday, Nov. 3, with polls open 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.