CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCSC) - Lowcountry voters are urged to come to the polls prepared as Tuesday marks Election Day for the anticipated 2024 Presidential Election.

The South Carolina Election Commission saw record numbers during the early voting period. Over 1.47 million early voters turned out ahead of Election Day.

Voters who plan to cast their ballots Tuesday are urged to arrive at the polls prepared. The state Election Commission states campaign material is not allowed within 500 feet of the entrance to the polling place. That includes clothing, pamphlets, posters and small objects like pins or buttons.

The Charleston County Board of Voter Registration and Elections Executive Director Isaac Cramer says the unacceptable materials are for current candidates. Cramer says poll workers will remove any campaign material within the 500-foot zone.

“If you’re wearing a shirt, they’ll be like, ‘wear it inside out,’ you’ll probably go to the bathroom or back to your car…If you’re wearing a hat, we’ll probably ask you to go back to your vehicle or put that piece of literature away,” Cramer says, “We know people are passing out pamphlets, we know that you might bring a pamphlet with you but we just ask that, that will be put in your purse, put in your pocket or brought back to your vehicle.”

Cramer urges voters to preview their sample ballot before heading to the ballot box. He says looking at the sample ballot online helps with speeding up the voting process.

“The ballot will contain president, Congress, you got local elections as well as the constitutional amendment, local county questions and those will just be longer for voters to review,” Cramer says.

Election officials recommend voters to be voter-ready by knowing any poll location changes. Voters can find their location online on the state election commission website.

Charleston County voters will see permanent location changes starting Election Day. Officials say residents received change via notification cards. County board officials say the changes to better serve voters with fewer lines, quicker voter experience and more disability access.

The affected areas are:

Berkeley County voters will also see changes. Voters in Hanahan 3, 5 and Yeamans Club will vote at Hanahan High School auditorium. Hanahan 4 voters will vote in the high school gym.

County officials say voters affected by the change received notification ahead of this year’s voting period.

Polls open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Voters need a valid photo identification to enter the polls. Election officials say voters are eligible to vote as long as they are in line by 7 p.m.

Copyright 2024 WCSC. All rights reserved.

CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCBD) – The early voting period is coming to a close Saturday across South Carolina.

Early voting began on Oct. 21 and election officials saw record numbers for turnout. This year marks the first time the state has done one of these periods that is open to any voter, and especially for a presidential election.

“People are excited about this year’s presidential election,” Rosie Brown, director of Berkeley County voter registration and elections, said. “Since early voting, we have seen a phenomenal turnout all over the county. People are wanting to get out and get their vote heard. And they’re participating in early voting in record numbers.”

Isaac Cramer, executive director of Charleston County board of elections, echoed the same message. Mount Pleasant is one of their busiest polling locations and said they are moving the lines as much as they can.

“Here in Mount Pleasant, wait times are 20 to 30 minutes,” Cramer said. “We’re seeing the most voters in the state at this location, so even if you see a line, they’re moving really quickly.”

Charleston County recorded nearly 120,000 votes since early voting began. Although they aren’t seeing as many people show up as last week, many were expected today.

“It seems today is the busiest day, which is what we expected – Friday, last Friday before the election, to be the biggest turnout,” Cramer said. “One thing, we’re just encouraging voters is you still have one more day – it’s tomorrow, from 8:30 to 6.”

Berkeley County added 30 in-person voting machines and 2 more to curbside vote to relieve the wait times this week. Officials said they recorded around 50,000 votes. However, voters are coming to cast their ballots at all hours and there is not necessarily an off-peak time. Brown said one trend she noticed last week, that may be helpful for those going to the polls on the last day.

“People usually get up early on Saturday mornings to do their early voting,” Brown said. “We did notice last Saturday that once the college football games started coming on TV or people going out to those games, the line became shorter at that point in time of that day.”

MOUNT PLEASANT, S.C. (WCSC)- The final site review for a food, entertainment, and public gathering space was approved by Mount Pleasant’s commercial design review board on Wednesday night.

The space is called Gather Mount Pleasant and will be located on Midtown Avenue right across from MUSC Midtown in Mount Pleasant and off of HungryNeck Boulevard.

The co-developer of Gather Mount Pleasant, Mack Cross, said that this project will cost $14 million. He said he wants it to serve as a place for friends and families to come and enjoy time together.

“Spend time, you know, ideally away from screens and have conversation, meet neighbors here, host out of town visitors,” Cross said. “A place that Preston, our other partner and co-developer, are really kind of planning for families like ours and a place where we would like to meet our community and spend time.”

Cross said Gather Mount Pleasant will have a similar atmosphere to the Gather location in Greenville, South Carolina but it will be bigger. Along with a variety of food and beverage options and live music like Gather Greenville, the Mount Pleasant location will have additional features like retail, office and salon space.

However, the site Gather Mount Pleasant will sit on has a residential community right next to it called Midtown Townes and Cross said they have had to modify their designs because of some residents’ concerns.

“We reduced the scale of the project. Originally we had a hotel component, but we have since gotten rid of that. The economy changed through the process, so that was a factor as well, you know, so just navigating all those different factors and really wanting to be thoughtful about the design and making sure that it’s a great fit for this site and this community,” Cross said.

One of the concerns previously expressed was noise, however, Cross said they have addressed this with the setup of the project and wouldn’t be having live music played late at night.

“So the scale of the building and where the stage is located within the project the buildings will provide some natural sound screening for that stage, but yes, we are sensitive that this is a residential area,” Cross said.

Many residents of the townhomes spoke during the public comment session of the meeting. One of their main concerns was about an entrance and exit point for commercial vehicles located on Fortier Drive which many of the residents said this road is essentially a driveway for them. They said with that road already being narrow and having commercial vehicles come through they worried about what congestion it could bring.

Mac Deford, a local politician, is one of those residents. He said that he thinks his community would be overall supportive of this project if they addressed this issue and found an alternative access point for commercial vehicles that doesn’t include Fortier Drive.

“I think as long as they are not using our private road, what is an alleyway, clogging it up with commercial traffic which you know would create a lot of safety concerns and hazards, I think they would have the overwhelming support of our community,” Deford said.

During the meeting, officials assured residents they examined various places to put this access point but that this was the best spot.

Cross said he believes the project they have designed now is the best concept they could be bringing to the area. Now that the commercial design review board has approved, Cross said the next steps would be for them to finish their construction drawings and then submit those to the Town of Mount Pleasant for building permit approval.

He said they hope to break ground in early spring or summer with construction expected to be completed in the middle of 2026.

“It is a place for many occasions, spontaneous occasions. It’s really hard to go out with a big family or multiple families and find a place to eat that’s welcoming and you know not too expensive and you know where you’re not disrupting people,” Cross said. “I can think of numerous occasions of times where you know we will end up here and hopefully others will too.”

Copyright 2024 WCSC. All rights reserved.

Towne Centre's future uncertain as Mount Pleasant denies rezoning request (WCIV)

MOUNT PLEASANT, S.C. (WCIV) — After months of back-and-forth discussion, Mount Pleasant town leaders have denied a rezoning request for Towne Centre.

Discussions surrounding the future of the space first started when Bed, Bath & Beyond shut down.

“There were real concerns about some of those large buildings could someday be vacant, so they wanted to kind of think ahead and plan for different redevelopment scenarios,” said Michele Reed, the town’s director of planning.

READ MORE | "State Supreme Court decision allows controversial Charleston stormwater project to proceed."

Continental Realty Corp., which owns the property, shared an original proposal with the Town Council in April to add apartments, a hotel, and more retail space. Overall, it consisted of buildings that would stand at 75 feet tall.

“I think that like maybe a hotel might be a bit too much because we already have that big hotel over there and I know around like the slow seasons now it's pretty much useless,” said Benjamin Marhefka, who works at TCBY in Towne Centre.

In a series of ten meetings and public hearings with residents, town leaders asked for adjustments to the plan; some of which were made, like lowering building height and adding greenspace.

However, some residents still worry about the possible issues new development could bring to Mount Pleasant.

“If they completely erase all the parking spots for like other businesses, I think that's going to be a big problem because I’ll see the parking lot like jam-packed on Saturdays,” Marhefka said.

READ MORE | "South Carolina flood victims face grim reality without insurance."

While parking isn’t a main area of concern with the proposal, the majority of council and Mayor Will Haynie still have reservations about the plan, saying it needs to be done right.

“Council really wants to see a solid plan that they know exactly what they're getting so that the people of the town know what they're getting, and they can really make a sound vote on this proposal,” Reed said.

The request has been shut down for now but a new version of it could be before Town Council in the next few months.

David Donato with Continental Realty Corp. sent News 4 the following statement after the original story aired:

“The next steps for CRC are to work on integrating the feedback from Council Members and the Mayor into a revised amendment that can garner Council support the next time through. The good news is that nearly everyone in this process sees the logic of doing what we can to improve Towne Centre. We knew this would not be a straight line to a PD Amendment - that is why we approached Town of Mt. Pleasant proactively. At the end of the day, I believe we will reach an outcome that keeps Towne Centre vibrant for years to come."

If you've made your way through the essential brunch restaurants in Charleston and still yearn for another mimosa in a different setting, we present this list of the new spots servicing the early crowds. To be on the Brunch Heatmap, these establishments must be less than a year old (with some consideration for those barely over the mark or changes in the kitchen).

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Eater maps are curated by editors and aim to reflect a diversity of neighborhoods, cuisines, and prices. Learn more about our editorial process. If you buy something or book a reservation from an Eater link, Vox Media may earn a commission. See our ethics policy.

The owners of El Molino Supermarket opened a Mexican coffee cafe named Kooben, which serves brunch daily. The menu features items like chilaquiles, huevos divorciados, churros, pancakes, and more.

Hot newcomer the Archer extends its neighborhood restaurant vibes to brunch on Saturdays and Sundays. Expect eggs Benedict, bread pudding French toast, duck leg hash, baked oysters, and the Archer burger, which is gaining a reputation for being one of the best in town.

At the new East Side location of City Light Coffee, you can get a mimosa and a breakfast sandwich any day of the week. Stop in for a BEC on Texas toast or opt for a vegan sausage and tofu egg version.

For those in search of a killer bacon, egg, and cheese sandwich in Mount Pleasant, make your way to the new location of Bodega. This is the second outpost of the downtown Bodega, which specializes in breakfast sandwiches, brunch cocktails, and New York-inspired lunch items, like a chopped cheese on a kaiser roll.

Buzzy restaurant the Select offers a brunch menu of greatest hits — from shakshuka to chilaquiles to French toast. Be sure to order an enormous cinnamon roll for the table.

Upper King bar Bourbon N’ Bubbles now offers a sophisticated brunch service with caviar deviled eggs, bomboloni, a crispy rice bowl, and plenty of espresso martinis.

Posh hotel restaurant Gabrielle now serves brunch on Saturdays and Sundays. Chef Edgar Kano puts out sophisticated plates like truffle deviled eggs, a lobster and crab roll, an egg white frittata, steak frites, smoked salmon Benedict, and more.

Brunch is back at the Glass Onion. After a hiatus due to COVID, the West Ashley mainstay has reintroduced its breakfast and brunch program. Order Southern favorites like shrimp and grits or a fried green tomato po-boy. The restaurant also offers French toast with peach jam or a farmer’s frittata with Goat Lady goat cheese.

Caviar for breakfast? Italian restaurant Sorelle can make that happen. The swanky Broad Street spot launched brunch service with selections ranging from stone fruit caprese to carbonara pizza to mortadella panino. For real indulgence, pair the caviar service with lobster Benedict and a round of champagne.

The Harlow brings its oysters and burgers to brunch, plus crab omelets, breakfast burritos, and shrimp and grits. The kid-friendly spot has a children’s menu of favorites, like chicken fingers or French toast.

The owners of El Molino Supermarket opened a Mexican coffee cafe named Kooben, which serves brunch daily. The menu features items like chilaquiles, huevos divorciados, churros, pancakes, and more.

Hot newcomer the Archer extends its neighborhood restaurant vibes to brunch on Saturdays and Sundays. Expect eggs Benedict, bread pudding French toast, duck leg hash, baked oysters, and the Archer burger, which is gaining a reputation for being one of the best in town.

At the new East Side location of City Light Coffee, you can get a mimosa and a breakfast sandwich any day of the week. Stop in for a BEC on Texas toast or opt for a vegan sausage and tofu egg version.

For those in search of a killer bacon, egg, and cheese sandwich in Mount Pleasant, make your way to the new location of Bodega. This is the second outpost of the downtown Bodega, which specializes in breakfast sandwiches, brunch cocktails, and New York-inspired lunch items, like a chopped cheese on a kaiser roll.

Buzzy restaurant the Select offers a brunch menu of greatest hits — from shakshuka to chilaquiles to French toast. Be sure to order an enormous cinnamon roll for the table.

Upper King bar Bourbon N’ Bubbles now offers a sophisticated brunch service with caviar deviled eggs, bomboloni, a crispy rice bowl, and plenty of espresso martinis.

Posh hotel restaurant Gabrielle now serves brunch on Saturdays and Sundays. Chef Edgar Kano puts out sophisticated plates like truffle deviled eggs, a lobster and crab roll, an egg white frittata, steak frites, smoked salmon Benedict, and more.

Brunch is back at the Glass Onion. After a hiatus due to COVID, the West Ashley mainstay has reintroduced its breakfast and brunch program. Order Southern favorites like shrimp and grits or a fried green tomato po-boy. The restaurant also offers French toast with peach jam or a farmer’s frittata with Goat Lady goat cheese.

Caviar for breakfast? Italian restaurant Sorelle can make that happen. The swanky Broad Street spot launched brunch service with selections ranging from stone fruit caprese to carbonara pizza to mortadella panino. For real indulgence, pair the caviar service with lobster Benedict and a round of champagne.

The Harlow brings its oysters and burgers to brunch, plus crab omelets, breakfast burritos, and shrimp and grits. The kid-friendly spot has a children’s menu of favorites, like chicken fingers or French toast.