There was some good news Saturday for South Carolinians still digging their way out of the rubble and assessing the recent damage caused by Hurricane Helene. A judge in the Palmetto State has ruled that voter registration will happen expanded for just over a week:
Judge Daniel Coble of South Carolina extended the voter registration deadline by eight days during a virtual hearing Friday because of Hurricane Helene.
…
The decision came after the state’s Democrats filed a lawsuit citing damage from Hurricane Helene as a barrier to citizens participating in the general election.
“Many residents remain without power or internet, and numerous government offices – including those responsible for voter registration – are closed due to the storm’s impacts,” the South Carolina Democratic Party said in a news release.
The move was deemed necessary not only because of the stress on potential voters from the storm, but also because some of the places where they would normally expect to be able to register remain closed, namely the South Carolina Election Commission specified in a press release:
South Carolinians now have more time to register to vote before the 2024 general election after a court today ordered the voter registration deadline to be extended to October 14.
The eight-day extension was ordered due to the widespread impacts of Hurricane Helene. Several voter registration offices in the counties were closed for days before they could reopen for registration. Offices in Edgefield, Laurens and McCormick remained closed due to the storm. The extended deadline applies to voters in all counties.
South Carolina Democratic Party Chairwoman Christale Spain struck a polite tone, saying in a statement that the party’s “goal is simple: to ensure that every citizen in South Carolina has the opportunity to register and exercise their right to vote.” , regardless of his political views, given the challenges caused by Hurricane Helene.”
She added in an X post:
Statement from South Carolina Democratic Party Chairwoman Christale Spain on the judge’s decision to grant the South Carolina Democratic Party’s request to extend the voter registration deadline to October 14 pic.twitter.com/udi7JsFpEh
– South Carolina Democratic Party (@scdp) October 4, 2024
So far, so good, right? Then the executive director of the South Carolina Democrat Party decided now was the time to launch a political attack on the Republicans. Jay Parmley’s spiteful and inappropriate remark was also shared via the official Party X account:
Statement from South Carolina Democratic Party Executive Director Jay Parmley on the judge’s decision to grant the South Carolina Democratic Party’s request to extend the voter registration deadline to October 14 pic.twitter.com/RGncGk8EMK
– South Carolina Democratic Party (@scdp) October 4, 2024
The managing director tried to formulate the message in a partly condescending and malicious way:
“I think the only difference was that Alan Wilson and Henry McMaster’s names were on the ballot in 2018 but not this year.”
In case you’re unfamiliar with these politicians, Parmley suggests it was a purely political move, which is why the Republican Party and the state’s governor didn’t request the extension (unlike in 2018 after Hurricane Florence; note: The devastating floods in South Carolina from… This storm is shown in the photo in this story.).
As you can see, Spain tried to velvety things over (her message was sent by the party to X first, but perhaps she knew in advance that drama was coming), but the damage was done.
It looks bad. This is how responsible public officials do not act in the wake of a deadly natural disaster while your fellow citizens are still reckoning with the cost to their lives and the damage to their communities. The left should be ashamed, but we all know they feel no shame at this point. The only solution is to vote the Democrats out of office in just about 30 days – whether you live in the Southeast or not.
