From the Editor

With just a couple weeks before the country holds its most unprecedented General Election, voters, journalists, opponents and supporters are all asking the candidates on the ballot: “Answer the question, please.”

 

In this week’s issue, The Daniel Island News has asked the candidates on the local ballot just that, and they responded.

 

The candidates in each race were given the same questions as their opponent, given the same amount of time to respond, and given the same amount of space to answer, and you can read them all in our 2020 Election Guide, created as a convenient pullout so you can save it or share it.

 

While nearly 500,000 voters in South Carolina had already cast their vote by Oct. 19, and another 500,000 are expected to vote early before Election Day on Nov. 3, that still leaves more than 2 million registered voters who could go to the polls. In our own reader survey (Page 26), respondents report that 30% still plan to go to the polls in person on Election Day.

 

A voting update on Page 16 provides readers with the latest on early voting and sources for checking on your absentee ballots, voting locations, and more.

 

National reports also purport that most voters who haven’t cast their ballots yet have already made up their minds about who they are backing. But that seems to apply primarily to the presidential contest, leaving many voters still considering the down-ballot races where party lines can sometimes blur. Also in our own reader survey, only 22% of respondents said they will vote strictly along party lines. 

 

So we hope that you will find this special report a useful guide as you make your own comparisons.

 

Now it’s your turn to “answer the question, please,” by casting your ballot and making sure your voice is heard.