South Carolina

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State of South Carolina Elections and Voting    

Election Day is November 5

  • October 7                     Deadline to register to vote (no same-day registration)
  • October 21                   First day of early voting
  • October 25                  Deadline to request an absentee ballot
  • November 2                Last day of early voting
  • November 5                Deadline for election authority to receive absentee ballot
  • November 5                Election Day

 

To register to vote in South Carolina, you must:

  • Be a United States citizen
  • Be 18 years old by election day
  • Be a resident of South Carolina in the county in which you are registering
  • Not be under a court order declaring you mentally incompetent
  • Not be confined in any public prison resulting from conviction of a crime
  • Never have never been convicted of a felony or offense against the election laws OR if previously convicted, have served the entire sentence, including probation or parole, or have received a pardon for the conviction.

 

How to register to vote:

If registering to vote by mail or in person, provide a copy of one of the following items:

  • Any current, valid Photo ID; or
  • A utility bill, bank statement, paycheck or government document showing your name and address in your county.

 

Voter ID Requirements

When voting in person, you will be asked to show one of the following Photo IDs:

  • A valid SC Driver’s License
  • SC Department of Motor Vehicles ID Card (includes SC Concealed Weapons Permit)
  • SC Voter Registration Card with Photo
  • US Passport
  • Federal Military ID (includes all Department of Defense Photo IDs and the Department of Veterans Affairs Benefits Card)

If you do not have one of these Photo IDs, you can make your voting experience as fast and easy as possible by getting a free Photo ID from your county voter registration and elections office or your local DMV office.

If you cannot get a photo ID, bring your non-photo voter registration card with you to the polling place. You may vote a provisional ballot after signing an affidavit stating you have a reasonable impediment to obtaining a photo ID.  This ballot will count unless someone proves to the county board of voter registration and elections that you are lying about your identity or having the listed impediment.

Visit VoteRiders for more information on voter ID requirements in South Carolina.

 

Early Voting

Any voter can visit an early voting center in their county and vote. Voters will be asked to present Photo ID when checking in to vote. Click here to find an early voting center.

 

Absentee Voting

Voters must have an accepted excuse to vote absentee by mail, including:

  • Persons with employment obligations which prevent them from voting during early voting hours for the duration of the early voting period, and during the hours the polls are open on election day.
  • Persons attending a sick or physically disabled person which prevents them from voting during early voting hours for the duration of the early voting period, and during the hours the polls are open on election day.
  • Persons confined to a jail or pretrial facility pending disposition of arrest or trial which prevents them from voting during early voting hours for the duration of the early voting period, and during the hours the polls are open on election day.
  • Persons who will be absent from their county of residence during early voting hours for the duration of the early voting period, and during the hours the polls are open on election day.
  • Persons with physical disabilities.
  • Persons sixty-five years of age or older.
  • Members of the Armed Forces and Merchant Marines of the United States, their spouses, and dependents residing with them (Learn more about procedures related to Military and Overseas Citizens).
  • Persons admitted to a hospital as an emergency patient on the day of the election or within a four-day period before the election

For information on who qualifies to vote absentee and how to request and submit an absentee ballot, click here.

Be sure to sign the voter’s oath and have your signature witnessed. Anyone age 18 or older can witness your signature. A notary is not necessary. Photo ID is required when returning an absentee ballot in person.

 

Resources

 

Tribes in South Carolina

Federally recognized tribes

  • Catawba Indian Nation (aka Catawba Indian Tribe of South Carolina)

State recognized tribes

  • Beaver Creek Indians
  • Edisto Natchez Kusso Tribe of South Carolina
  • Pee Dee Indian Nation of Upper South Carolina
  • Pee Dee Indian Tribe
  • Piedmont American Indian Association
  • The Santee Indian Organization
  • Sumter Tribe of Cheraw Indians
  • The Waccamaw Indian People
  • The Wassamasaw Tribe of Varnertown Indians

 

Native Vote Coordinators

Sign up to be a local Native Vote coordinator today!

 

Major Party Contact Information

Democrat
Chair, Jamie Harrison
www.scdp.org

 

Republican
Chair, Drew McKissick
www.sc.gop/

Posted in States.