COLUMBIA, S.C. –  The college campus is quiet, as one might expect on a Saturday when class is not in session and students are sleeping in.

But Benedict College is a voting location; a precinct of 2,000 people vote here. By 2:45 p.m., only 200 of them had voted, mostly college students, said Elise Martin, poll manager.

“Saturday is not a good day,” she said.

It’s a contrast to what many are saying about today’s turnout at the polls. The Democratic Party is predicting big numbers. This is the first year South Carolinians have voted on a  Saturday — both last week and this week for primaries.

Over at Dent Middle School, things are busier. A crowd of Clinton supporters stands on a  corner, the requisite 100 feet away.  By 2 p.m. 600 people had voted, said Poll Manager Louis Moses, Jr.

“It’s been a steady flow all day,” he said.

That precinct contains 2,200 voters, and Moses expected about 1,000 of them to show up at  some point.

The picture at Dent Middle School is closer to the real story of the day, according to  S.C.’s Democratic Party Chairwoman Carol Fowler.

She predicted more than 300,000 voters would turn out, breaking the 2004 record of 293,000.

“There are lots of precincts that a 2 p.m. had already voted as many as they did last time [all day],” she said.

One precinct voted 400 people by 2 p.m. In 2004, that precinct voted 500 people all day.

She said the high turnout can be attributed to people’s excitement about this year’s candidates. People know that voting Republican won’t bring any changes, she said.

Although North Carolina’s late May primary may seem like a non-factor to many state residents, Fowler said Super Tuesday on Feb. 5 will probably result in a split of delegates. That means later primaries could become battlegrounds, she said.

“It’ll come down to a fight for delegates. If the delegate count is still close in May, the vote up there [in North Carolina] could be critical.”