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South Carolina poll scandal
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Feb. 19, 2000 | GREENVILLE, S.C. -- At least three of the voting locations were in predominantly African-American neighborhoods, lending credence -- at least in McCain staffers' minds -- to the conspiracy theory that forces favoring Texas Gov. George W. Bush had conspired to shut down the polls to suppress the turnout of individuals likely to vote for McCain. McCain has been lustily wooing Democrats and independents for Saturday's GOP primary. South Carolina Republican Party Chairman Henry McMaster said a lack of manpower caused the problem -- since the party relies on volunteers to staff the precincts.
The charge that Bush allies would so blatantly try to suppress voter turnout -- which McCain and his staff were careful not to specifically make -- was based on sheer speculation. Many political observers have noted that the Bush campaign's barrage of "push polls" and vitriolic TV and radio advertisements is at least partially an effort to turn off voters -- which in theory is harmful to McCain because he tends to attract more self-disfranchised voters. Reporters' interest was piqued when McCain staffers said that Greenville County GOP Chairman Warren Mowry had endorsed Bush, which Mowry denies. "I do not believe that as the chairman of a county party involved in a contested primary I should be anything but neutral," Mowry said Saturday afternoon in a phone interview. But at one closed precinct in Greenville, the county's neutrality seemed questionable. If a voting location is moved, the state GOP is required by law to either station a person at the site to give directions to the alternate site or use "prominently displayed written notice" of the new voting locale. At the voting precinct at Rocky Creek Baptist Church, a "George W. Bush" sticker was attached to the cardboard sign on which directions to the new locale were written. Bryant Rhone looked at those directions before heading to the new site. A 27-year-old registered Republican, Rhone said he would vote for McCain. "He's a military man," said Rhone, an employee at defense contractor Lockheed who served seven years in the military. "I liked Bush. And I became disappointed. You know, the first place he decided to speak to was Bob Jones University. That didn't seem right -- especially with the racial tensions in South Carolina. I just don't think he was sensitive to the black vote at all." "The governor has said all along that he wants every precinct to be open, and we believe them to be so," said Bush spokesman Ari Fleischer when asked about the 21 precincts that are unquestionably, indisputably closed. "As you know, we don't have to open up all the precincts," said state GOP Executive Director J. Sam Daniels. "In 1996, only 40 percent of our locations opened up. This time, 80 percent are opened up." It's true that "21 of the precincts had to be consolidated" with other voting locales, Daniels said, and "only three of the 21 are considered to be majority-black districts." As with all of the dirt, roadblocks, bumps, hurdles and pitfalls put in McCain's path in his race to win the South Carolina primary, it is doubtful that anyone will ever be able to prove collusion with the Bush campaign in this incident. Saturday morning, McCain called for "a complete and full investigation" into the matter. "Are there no depths ...?" he started to ask, before letting his words trail off.
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