Tuesday, Nov. 17, 2009
Runoff calls Myrtle Beach to polls
E-Mail
Print
tool name
closeRunoff elections are nothing new in Myrtle Beach, and they are nothing new for most of the candidates people can vote for Tuesday.
Mayoral candidates Mark McBride and Mayor John Rhodes have faced each other before, and for incumbents Chuck Martino and Randal Wallace, facing challenger Mike Lowder, this will be their third runoff each.
The procedure for voting in the runoff is the same as for the regular election, officials said.
Only those registered to vote inside Myrtle Beach city limits are allowed to vote for City Council and mayoral candidates, and votes are cast at regular voting precincts.
Residents voting absentee can drop off their ballots at the Horry County Department of Voter Registration and Elections office through Tuesday or can vote in person until 5 p.m. today at the same office.
Myrtle Beach residents can vote from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Tuesday.
Votes will be counted, as they were on Nov. 3, in council chambers at the Ted C. Collins Law Enforcement Center, corner of Mr. Joe White Avenue and Oak Street. The public is welcome to attend.
Sandy Martin, director of the Horry County Department of Voter Registration and Elections, answers a few questions about Tuesday's election.
Question | How common are run-off elections in Horry County?
Answer | We have them in many city elections and even in the primaries. Cities can change their ordinances so they don't have run-offs - so that the highest vote-getter wins instead of requiring 50 percent of the vote plus one. I think Briarcliffe [Acres] is the only city in the county that doesn't have run-offs.
Q. | How is voter turnout for run-offs?
A. | It's typically lower, but it depends on the office [being voted for]. We can have a pretty good turnout sometimes, but it's almost never bigger than the regular election.
Q. | Is everyone eligible to vote in a run-off?
A. | Yes, everyone who lives inside the city and has registered to vote can vote in Tuesday's run-off.
We had so many people from all over the county who wanted to vote in the Myrtle Beach election this year. We got calls from all over, from Garden City [Beach], from Surfside [Beach], from Carolina Forest, and they told us off! They said we were taking away their right to vote! We had to explain that they are only eligible to vote if they live inside the city, but there were a lot of people who wanted to have a say, I think, because of the issues like the bike rallies.
Also, there is some confusion among people who live outside the city but have a Myrtle Beach address. They live in the county, and some of them wanted to vote for the mayor, but they don't have a mayor. They have the Horry County Council.
@Nyx.CommentBody@