On behalf of the South Carolina State Election Commission, I would like to thank the county election officials, volunteers, media, and thousands of poll workers who helped ensure the voting process for the Republican and Democratic Presidential Primaries ran smoothly. The mission of the State Election Commission has always been to ensure every eligible citizen has the opportunity to register to vote, participate in fair and impartial elections, and have the assurance that their vote will count. The broad success of the last two Saturdays has validated the success of that mission. As always the lion's share of credit for that success goes to the county election officials who took on the enormous task of conducting two statewide elections, one week apart. We must also take this opportunity to thank South Carolina voters. With approximately 978,145 ballots casts and a combined statewide voter turnout of 43.5 percent for both presidential primaries, the level of voter participation in the presidential primaries speaks well to South Carolinians' interest in the presidential election process. All South Carolina voters should be proud of their participation in the 2008 presidential primaries and thank our county election officials and poll workers for helping uphold the integrity of our state's voting process. Together, we will continue to ensure that in South Carolina, "Every Vote Matters, Every Vote Counts."

Marci Andino

Executive Director

South Carolina State Election Commission

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