On the first day of early voting on Oct. 21, the turnout at the Lexington County Voter Registration Office was eyebrow-raising.
There were cars wrapped around the building, stretching up toward the Lizard Thicket restaurant onto the busy thoroughfare.
That was on top of the line of voters heading into the office, which grew every minute.
Many in line said they knew exactly who they planned to vote for president — that’s why they showed up in the first place.
But how will the surge in turnout — more than 1 million of the state's more than 3.4 million registered voters have cast ballots early — affect races for state and local offices like in this Republican-leaning Midlands county, a part of which includes one of the few competitive state Senate contests in South Carolina?
Several voters said that they did not know what state Senate district they lived in.
"I’m not sure, because I moved recently," one man said.
"I don’t, but I am going to go straight Republican," said another voter.
The general election is on Tuesday, Nov. 5.
And South Carolina, a reliable red state, is poised to go to former President Donald Trump for a third time.
Trump’s strength at the top of the ticket has S.C. Democrats especially anxious.
Four years ago, the party lost five seats in the General Assembly.
Two years later, Republicans clinched a supermajority in the S.C. House after flipping more seats, some in traditional Democratic districts.
If Democrats lose a single Senate seat next week, the GOP will have a supermajority in both chambers.
For state Democratic Party Chairwoman Christale Spain, what victory looks like on Election Day this year is clear.
"They’re trying to knock off some of our incumbent senators, and if we’re able to protect those senators, that is victory for us this cycle," Spain said.
Back in Lexington, Democrats are trying to hold onto a seat that the GOP has been eyeing for years, currently represented by outgoing state Sen. Nikki Setzler, D-Lexington.
With the loss of two veteran senators in Lexington County — Setzler due to retirement and Republican Sen. Katrina Shealy after a June primary loss — Democrats in this district that also includes parts of Calhoun and Richland Counties hope voters here elect Democratic House Rep. Russell Ott over GOP newcomer Jason Guerry.
Due to new district lines drawn by the GOP-controlled Legislature, most Statehouse contests are decided in the June party primaries.
That leaves few competitive races for November, making their outcome critical for Democrats.
After two cycles of major upsets, Democrats are playing aggressive defense.
So, with Trump on the ticket and a state turning more red, that leaves state Republican Party Chairman Drew McKissick feeling confident and able to spread more resources in parts of the state that the party has slowly been picking apart for years.
McKissick recently told SCETV that he's on record saying the party will pick up two state Senate seats and two House seats.
In what districts exactly? McKissick won’t say.
But based on past turnout and where the party has decided to spend its resources, there are signs of where the S.C. Republican Party hopes to solidify and grow its base.
There's the Senate District 36 race between incumbent Sen. Kevin Johnson, D-Clarendon, and Republican challenger Jeff Zell.
State Sen. Mike Fanning, D-Fairfield, faces challenger Everett Stubbs to keep Senate District 17. And there's Senate District 35 to succeed outgoing Sen. Thomas McElveen, a race between former Camden Mayor Jeffrey Graham and GOP challenger Mike Jones.
Even in blue Richland County, Republicans are hoping to take back a Columbia-area swing district and elect former Rep. Kirkman Finlay, who lost that same district in the 2022 midterms to Democrat Heather Bauer, who ran almost entirely on abortion access rights.
"Every vote matters," Bauer said, adding she won by just more than 200 votes in 2022. "It’s going to be just as close this time."
It’s why Democrats statewide have pushed early vote turnout so hard.
And it’s why Republicans are leaning in, too.
Already, one in four registered voters have cast their ballot.
Early voting ends Saturday.
How many SC voters cast early in-person ballots?
Editor's Note: In-person early voting totals will be updated daily. Early voting centers are closed Sunday, Oct. 27, and early voting ends Saturday, Nov. 2. As of Nov. 2, 1,471,663 voters have cast an early ballot in person.
Oct. 21: 126,726
Oct. 22: 127,833
Oct. 23: 128,988
Oct. 24: 127,819
Oct. 25: 134,553
Oct. 26: 90,204
Oct. 28: 130,328
Oct. 29: 123,574
Oct. 30: 117,333
Oct. 31: 110,286
Nov. 1: 134,709
Nov. 2: 119,310
SOURCE: S.C. STATE ELECTION COMMISSION