When I was a kid there was the democrat primary in June that "WAS THE ELECTION" for all the local and state government seats. The only chance you had to vote for a republican was in the November election and then only for president....votes back then cost $1 in the June primary and no cost in November because there was no opposition....and the presidential candidate got all his votes for almost free. Had to run a few buses you know. They pay $5 and up now for "democrat" votes, republicans are tightwads, they don't pay anything...
In 1964, S.C. went for Barry Goldwater in the national election.
But things still didn't change much on the local level until 1980. That's when my Dad, Cecil, me, the X-wife and 3 more held the first republican party meeting in this county since "Reconstruction" or as it's known around here,"Those times when the damn Yankees were stealing everything"....and some other choice phrases....anyway we held the meeting, state republican party laughed when the X-wife called and asked about a little help to hold a republican primary in this county. Daddy and Cecil put up the money, X-wife got a few people to help her and we opened 7 ballot boxes in the county. There are 23 polling places and we were only able to have a box at 7 but we combined some districts so that everyone that wanted to could vote for R.R.. The democrats had gotten wind of it and (I guess they were right) if you voted in the republican primary you couldn't vote in the democrat primary which was our local election. A lot of people gave up there votes in the local election to cast just "ONE" vote in the republican primary and that "ONE" vote was for R.R..
Times have certainly changed in the last 30 years. We get to pick and chose between D & R candidates in the local elections now. You can vote for the weakest/worst democrat in June and then vote for the republican in November. It has been good for the local ghetto economy, the going price for votes between the democrat candidates has skyrocketed.
