Voters in Hampton County - the few who bothered to turn out - and statewide chose to support Newt Gingrich as the Republican candidate they want to challenge Democratic President Barack Obama during the November General Election.

In Saturday's Republican Presidential Preference  Primary, Gingrich eared 580 of the roughly 800 votes cast - a  pitiful 8 percent turnout - while Mitt Romney got 266 votes, Rick Santorum got 179 votes, and Ron Paul got 92 votes. Even the candidates who had dropped out of the race before the S.C. primary got a few votes. Go to scvotes.org for the latest numbers, and read the full story in The Guardian.  

EARLIER RELEASE: The 2012 Republican Presidential Preference Primary will be held on Saturday, and Hampton County voters - and voters statewide - will have the opportunity to go to the polls and select the Republican candidate they feel should take on Democratic President Barack Obama in the November 2012 General Election. Voters can choose from Newt Gingrich, Ron Paul, Rick Perry, Mitt Romney, or Rick Santorum.

Just like every other primary, every polling place in Hampton County will be open for this election day, from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., despite the fact that it is on a Saturday. However, because there is no Democratic Presidential Primary (Obama is automatically chosen as that party's candidate), all registered voters in the county can vote in this election, regardless of whether you are a Republican or a Democrat. This will have no bearing on how you must vote in November.

Proposed voting changes, such as the new South Carolina Voter's ID law, have been blocked by the U.S. Department of Justice for now and will not be in effect for this election.

Results from the primary will be posted here when available.