It's on: Voters head to the polls across state

MORNING HEADLINES | Polls are open until 7 p.m. in South Carolina in what may be the nation’s most consequential election in a century — for control of the U.S. Congress to allow Democrats to have more power in dealing with President Donald Trump and his authoritarian tendencies.

The midterm elections will offer the first nationwide verdict on Trump’s second term. Election results in states such as Florida, Texas and South Carolina where voting ends early could indicate how each party will fare in House and Senate races elsewhere in the country. Many analysts predict a “blue wave” to sweep more Democrats into the halls of Congress to serve as a check on Trump.

In South Carolina, more than 1 million voters cast ballots early in critical statewide and congressional contests, including races for governor, attorney general, the U.S. Senate and South Carolina’s 1st Congressional District.

As of today, the U.S. Senate race continues to appear close between sitting U.S. Sen. Darline Graham and Democratic candidate Annie Andrews, according to recent polling from the S.C. Policy Council and The New York Times.

Vying for the office of S.C. governor are Republican Alan Wilson, the current attorney general and Democratic nominee Jermaine Johnson, a member of the S.C. House. Other candidates include Green Party candidate Walid Hakim and United Citizens Party candidate Michael Addison.

Republican Jenny Honeycutt and Democratic nominee Nancy Lacore are the two major party candidates vying for the seat in the First Congressional District, one of the state’s most closely watched races.

In Charleston, the Charleston Area Regional Transportation Authority, or CARTA, and TriCounty Link will provide free rides to and from polling locations. Voters using CARTA can tell the bus driver they are traveling to vote and will be allowed to ride for free.

To check your polling place or view a sample ballot, head to the official S.C. elections website at scvotes.com. And to learn more about the races, visit the Charleston City Paper.

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Listening Across America

Charleston City Paper Editor Andy Brack has just returned from his Listening Across America road trip, during which he talked with people across the country about what’s happening in this year’s midterm elections. Check out what he found at the main LAA site, or on YouTube, Facebook and Instagram.

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Our online events calendar has scores of events around the Lowcountry every day, making it the most detailed calendar of what’s happening in the area. Just click on “Events” above at right under the black toolbar. You’ll be amazed at what you find.