FAQ

SOUTH CAROLINA VOTERS MAY NOW VOTE EARLY

Governor McMaster signed S.108, a bipartisan election reform bill, on May 13th, 2022, which provides for two weeks of early voting. Every county now has at least one early voting polling location. In addition, some voters who are unable to vote during early voting are permitted to vote an absentee ballot by mail.

Early Voting is open for two weeks before primary and general elections.

  • Statewide General Election: Early voting centers must be open Monday – Saturday, 8:30 AM – 6:00 PM
  • Primary Elections: Early voting centers must be open Monday – Friday, 8:30 AM – 5:00 PM
  • Runoff Elections: Early voting centers must be open Wednesday – Friday, 8:30 AM – 5:00 PM immediately before Election Day

ABSENTEE BY MAIL

Qualified electors who wish to vote absentee by mail and cannot vote during early voting hours must meet one of the following conditions:

  1. physically disabled persons;
  2. persons sixty-five years of age or older;
  3. members of the Armed Forces and Merchant Marines of the United States, their spouses, and dependents residing with them; or
  4. persons admitted to hospitals as emergency patients on the day of an election or within a four-day period before the election,
  5. has employment obligations and can present written certification of the obligations to the county board of voter registration and elections;
  6. is attending sick or physically disabled persons;
  7. is confined to a jail or pretrial facility pending disposition of arrest or trial
  8. is going to be absent from their county of residence during the duration of the early voting period.

Requesting absentee ballot applications

  • A qualified elector or immediate family member must request an absentee ballot
  • A request for an application to vote by absentee ballot may be made anytime during the calendar year in which the election will be held.
  • A person who makes a request for an application to vote by absentee ballot must provide their name, date of birth, and last four digits of social security number
  • The application must be signed by the qualified elector and a witness
  • Applications must be returned in person, by either the elector, a member of the elector’s immediate family, or the elector’s authorized representative, or by mail, by the elector, to the county board of voter registration and elections no later than 5:00 p.m. on the eleventh day before the day of the election to vote by absentee ballot.

Returning Voted Absentee Ballots

  • A voter or their authorized representative or immediate family member can return a completed ballot by mail, or by personal delivery to an election official at the county board of voter registration or early voting location
  • Authorized representatives or family members returning a ballot on behalf of a voter must complete an authorization form prescribed by the SEC at the same time the ballot is returned, and must present a valid government-issued photo ID
  • A person may not be witness to or return more than five ballots in addition to their own.