Columbia Mayor Votes after 4 Hours in Line

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) – Columbia Mayor Steve Benjamin says he finally cast his vote after more than four hours in line. Benjamin cast his ballot shortly before 11 p.m. Tuesday in a precinct in northeast Richland County. The Democratic mayor says he’s glad residents were patriotic enough to wait it out, but the county’s long lines were disconcerting. He says people deserve some answers. He says officials must better prepare for high turnout. Officials say Richland County by far had the longest waits in the state. Some voters reported waiting as long as seven hours. Democratic and GOP party leaders blamed broken voting machines and an improper distribution among precincts. Polls officially closed at 7 p.m., but anyone standing in line by then could vote. Benjamin says he got in line about 6:30 p.m.