S.C. voter registration swells

Number of voters swelling Economic progress, competitive races lead to big registration gains in South Carolina, more modest jump in Georgia

Web posted October 31, 1998

By Dave Williams
Morris News Service

WASHINGTON -- Changing demographics and competitive statewide races have sent voter registration soaring in South Carolina, a research organization reported Friday.

More than 2 million South Carolinians are registered to vote in Tuesday's elections, about 70 percent of the state's voting-age population, according to the Committee for the Study of the American Electorate.

That's an increase of 15.3 percent since the last mid-term election, in 1994, the fourth-largest jump in registration among the 30 states that have reported up-to-date figures.

Only Alaska, North Carolina and Pennsylvania experienced larger increases in voter registration during the last four years.

The numbers are less dramatic in Georgia, where registration has risen by about 10.7 percent since 1994, to about 3.9 million people.

South Carolina's rapid growth in voter registration can be traced to the state's economic progress, said Blease Graham, a political science professor at the University of South Carolina. As the Palmetto State has moved away from a dependence on agriculture and the textile industry, educational attainment has risen, he said.

``That generates more individualistic people, a type of citizen who is more active in politics and more interested in government,'' Mr. Graham said.

Beyond such demographic factors, the intense campaigns being waged for the South Carolina governorship and the U.S. Senate also have driven up interest in registering to vote, said Charles Dunn, a political science professor at Clemson University.

The contests between Republican Gov. David Beasley and Democratic challenger Jim Hodges and between Democratic U.S. Sen. Fritz Hollings and Republican U.S. Rep. Bob Inglis have been heated, with the combatants hurling wave after wave of attack ads at their opponents.

With both races widely considered toss-ups, voters are more motivated to go to the polls, Mr. Graham said.

``It gives them a sense that their vote can make a difference,'' he said.

Not all of the South Carolina numbers are rosy when compared with other states. That 70 percent voter registration rate is 26th among the 30 states listed in the report, barely above Georgia, where less than 69 percent of the voting-age population is registered to vote.

The two states' relatively low voter registration rates reflect income and education levels that -- despite great progress -- still lag behind other parts of the country, said Doug Bachtel, a demographer at the University of Georgia.