Jesse Jackson talks voter participation during Pee Dee visit

FLORENCE, S.C. (AP) _ The Rev. Jesse Jackson says he wants to see a big turnout in his native South Carolina during next month’s Democratic presidential primary.

Local media outlets report that Jackson spoke at a church in Florence on Sunday during a service commemorating the Emancipation Proclamation of 1863.

Jackson told the congregation that the road to the White House leads through South Carolina. He said that while 1.2 million African-Americans are eligible to vote in the state, only about 900,000 are registered to do so.

Jackson has started an effort to get another 100,000 African-Americans registered. He said the focus of the election should be on attacking poverty.

The South Carolina Democratic presidential primary is Feb. 27.