Spartanburg County leaders said Sunday night will the last day to register online to vote in this election.
“Today is the eighth of October, and tomorrow is the last day you can register online to vote in this election,” said Kathryn Harvey, Chair of Spartanburg County Democratic Party. “So, that is the pertinent piece of information, is to go check your voter registration. Make sure you are registered. Make sure you have a voting plan,” she said.
Lisa Ellis, the Democratic Candidate for SC Superintendent of Education, spoke to people in Spartanburg County on Saturday afternoon. Ellis talked about her campaign and the importance of voting.
“I think it’s so important particularly in the mid-term election because so many local races are up, and so when you think about your daily life and what impacts it, is these local races,” Ellis said. “Really in terms of if we’re specifically talking about education, education in South Carolina is at a crisis point, and you’ve got two very different candidates that think very differently about the path that it needs to go down. I believe in a robust public education system, where we’re educating all of our students, and that is how we build up South Carolina,” Ellis said.
Ellis is running against Republican Candidate, Ellen Weaver. Her campaign sent a statement to 7NEWS.
Ellen Weaver is crisscrossing the state meeting with and listening to students, teachers, and parents about her plan to improve our state’s educational future. Voters are learning that Ellen Weaver is the only candidate in this race with the executive experience necessary to run a state agency with a multi-billion dollar budget. Lisa Ellis, on the other hand, has no executive experience and only favors liberal Washington DC solutions.
Robert Cathcart, campaign spokesman
Ellis feels she’s the right person for the job.
“Well, I’m a teacher. Teachers are natural problem-solvers, and so I’ve been in the classroom for 22 years and I’ve seen the impact of bad policy on our classrooms and our students,” Ellis said. “I feel that having that experience, I can take that up to the policy level and really have good conversations about what we need to do to improve our public school system,” Ellis said.
Ellis said if she wins, she has several focuses.
“First and foremost, the big issue in South Carolina education is the lack of teachers in classrooms, and there’s not a teacher shortage. There’s just a shortage of teachers willing to teach for the salary and under these working conditions,” Ellis said.
As the races quickly heat up, leaders said now is the time to start checking your voter registration, to make sure you can cast your ballot.
“Early voting starts October 24th and runs through November 5th,” Harvey said. “Voting locations will be open both those Saturdays as well. This is the first time in like history that we’ve got like two weeks of early voting. So, we really want folks to take advantage of that,” Harvey said. “It’s most critical that you do check your voter registration because some folks were redistricted this year and your lines for your voting may have changed, that just means your polling places could have shifted,” Harvey said. “So, you just want to check in on that before you go out to vote. Make sure you know you’re going to the right place,” she said.
“There’s going to be three locations where you can vote early in the county. Woodruff Library, Boiling Springs Library, and the Spartanburg County Elections Office,” Harvey said.
“I think South Carolina has made it as easy as possible,” Ellis said. “You can go in your free time. It’s open all day, and there’s Saturdays. There’s absentee ballots,” she said. “So, there’s really never been an easier time to go vote,” Ellis said. “Again, how your daily life is impacted, it’s impacted by these elections. So, if you want things to get better, then get out and use your voice through your votes,” she said.
To learn more about candidates, and to find more information about your polling location and voting process, visit SCvotes.gov
Spartanburg County Democratic Party