South Carolina/Voting

Register to Vote:

Who can register?

In order to vote, South Carolina law requires one must first register to vote at least 30 days prior to the election. To be eligible to register in South Carolina you MUST:

• be a United States citizen
• be at least eighteen years old on or before the next election
• be a resident of South Carolina in the county and precinct in which you are registering
• not be under a court order declaring you mentally incompetent
• not be confined in any public prison resulting from a conviction of a crime
• 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.

Register online: Must require an S.C Driver’s License and DMV ID. When you move update your residence on with the the DMV.

Register by mail, email or fax: Download the voter registration form and return the county board of voter registration.

Register in-person with your county board of voter registration or while at different agencies including the Department of Motor and Vehicles.

Here is the full list below:

• Armed Forces Recruiting Stations
• Commission for the Blind
• Department of Alcohol and Other Drug Abuse Services
• Department of Disabilities and Special Needs
• Department of Health and Environmental Control
• Department of Health and Human Services
• Department of Mental Health
• Department of Motor Vehicles
• Department of Social Services
• Protection and Advocacy for People with Disabilities
• Vocational Rehability

You must register at the address where you reside.  For guidance in determining what residence to claim for voter registration purposes, see S.C. Code of Laws Section 7-1-25.ation Department

Students

Students may register to vote where they reside while attending college.  This could be at an address in the college community (e.g., a dormitory) or at an address you intend to return to while not in the college community (e.g., family home).  For guidance in determining what residence to claim for voter registration purposes, see S.C. Code of Laws Section 7-1-25.

Many college students who live on campus receive their mail at a campus post office box.  These students must register at the physical address of their dormitory.  The student’s P.O. Box can be provided for mailing and contact purposes.

Voter Registration Drives

If you are planning a voter registration drive at an institution of higher learning, please make sure you have the National Voter Registration Application for students who maintain their residency outside of South Carolina.  For a list of addresses of Election Commissions throughout the country please see the Election Assistance Commission web site.

When can I register?

There is no length of residency requirement in South Carolina in order to register to vote. You can register at any time.

You must be registered at least 30 days prior to any election in order to vote in that election. Registration by mail applications must be postmarked at least 30 days prior to that particular election to be eligible. If the deadline falls on a Sunday or U.S. Postal Service holiday, the postmark deadline is extended to the next day that is not a Sunday or holiday.

Citizens who are not yet 18-years-old but will turn 18 before the next ensuing General Election, and who otherwise qualify to vote, have the right to register beginning 120 days prior to the closing of the books of a preceding primary (see S.C. Code of Laws 7-5-180).

ID Requirement

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.

Convicted Felons:

Convicted felons are ineligible to vote unless they have completed service of sentence or pardon. Once a person who was convicted of a felony or offense against the election laws serves they sentence, they may register to vote.  To register, the applicant must submit a new voter registration application to they county voter registration office.  To participate in any particular election, the applicant must submit the application prior to the 30-day voter registration deadline for that election.  In applying, the registrant is swearing under penalty of perjury that he is qualified to register, including having completed his entire sentence.  County voter registration boards must be satisfied that the applicant has completed his sentence; and in some cases, may request a person who has lost his voting rights due to conviction to provide proof that he has completed his sentence.

Early Voting

Statewide General  Elections:

• Monday, 15 days prior to election day, through Saturday, three days prior to election day.
• 8:30 a.m. – 6:00 p.m.
• Closed Sundays and state holidays.

All Other Elections and Primaries

• Monday, 15 days prior to election day, through Friday, four days prior to election day.
• 8:30 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
• Closed Saturdays, Sundays and state holidays

Runoffs

• Wednesday, six days prior to election day, through Friday, four days prior to election day.
• 8:30 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
• Closed on state holidays.

Absentee Voting

People who can vote:

• 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 (see additional details below).

How can I vote absentee:

Step 1:  Get your application

• You can submit your request for an application as early as January 1 of the election year.
• Call, visit or send your request by U.S. mail to your county voter registration office.
• You must provide your name, date of birth and last four digits of your Social Security Number.
• You will be mailed an application.
• Find more information below on how Immediate Family Members and Authorized Representatives can request a voter’s application.

Step 2:  Complete, sign and return the application

• Return the application by U.S. mail or personal delivery to your county voter registration office as soon as possible.
• The deadline to return your application is 5:00 p.m. on the 11th day prior to the election.
• Find more information below on how Immediate Family Members and Authorized Representatives can return a voter’s application.

Step 3:  Receive your absentee ballot in the mail

• Voters who have applied early will be mailed their absentee ballot approximately 30 days before the election.

Step 4:  Vote and return the ballot

• Return your ballot to your county voter registration office or an early voting center either by mail or personal delivery.
• Must present Photo ID when returning the ballot in person.
• Acceptable Photo IDs:
  • Driver’s license issued by a state within the United States.
  • Another form of identification containing a photograph issued by the Department of Motor Vehicles or its equivalent by a state within the United States.
  • Passport.
  • Military identification containing a photograph issued by the federal government.
  • South Carolina voter registration card containing a photograph of the voter.
• Place the ballot in the “ballot here-in” envelope and place the “ballot here-in” envelope in the return envelope.
• 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.
• Ballots must be received by the county voter registration office by 7:00 p.m. on election day.
• Ballots returned by mail should be mailed no later than one week prior to election day to help ensure timely delivery.
• Find more information below on how Immediate Family Members and Authorized Representatives can return a voter’s ballot.

Can you make a ballot request and returned it for another person?

An Immediate Family Member

• Includes Spouse, Parent, Child, Brother, Sister, Grandparent, Grandchild, Mother-in-law, Father-in-law, Brother-in-law, Sister-in-law, Son-in-law, Daughter-in-law.

An Authorized Representative

• Must be a registered voter.
• Must have permission to act on behalf of a voter who is unable to go to the polls because of illness or disability resulting in his confinement in a hospital, sanatorium, nursing home, or place of residence, or is unable because of a physical handicap to go to his polling place or because of a handicap is unable to vote at his polling place due to existing architectural barriers that deny him physical access to the polling place, voting booth, or voting apparatus or machinery.
• Must sign an oath that they meet the requirements of being an Authorized Representative by completing the Authorized Representative form.
• A candidate, a member of a candidate’s campaign staff, or a campaign volunteer may not serve as an Authorized Representative unless the person is a member of the voter’s immediate family.

Track the status of your ballot:

You can check your status via online or country registration  

Miscellaneous information

You cannot include another voter’s application when it is time to return a ballot. You are no longer allowed to send it electronically or fax. If you are in the hospital or emergency room, they can have a family delivered at your polling location.