COLUMBIA — South Carolina residents can begin voting in person starting Monday.
Polling places will be open daily from 8:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. until Saturday, Nov. 2, except for Oct. 27, as state law prohibits voting on Sundays.
“There’s no need to wait until Nov. 5 to vote,” stated Howard Knapp, executive director of the State Election Commission, in a press release issued Thursday. “Locate an early voting center in your county. Vote just like you would on Election Day, and make your voice heard.”
This is the first general election with a presidential vote since the legislature enacted a law in 2022 establishing a two-week period for no-excuse, in-person early voting. While early voting was temporarily allowed in 2020 due to the pandemic, the current law formalizes the process.
Legally, all 46 counties are required to have at least one early voting location, with the option to provide up to seven. Five counties offer the maximum number of sites: Charleston, Florence, Greenville, Horry, and Richland.
Registered voters in the approximately two-thirds of counties with multiple options can choose the most convenient location. The same identification requirements as on Election Day will apply.
Voters can still opt to vote by mail, but this involves multiple steps. Applications for absentee ballots must be submitted by 5 p.m. on Oct. 25. Acceptable reasons for absentee voting include being out of town during the early voting period and on Election Day, military service, being 65 or older, or having a physical disability.
Absentee ballots must be completed and returned via mail or in person to an early voting center or the county election office by 7 p.m. on Nov. 5.
This election, voters will have the opportunity to cast their ballots in the presidential race, all seven congressional seats in South Carolina, all 170 Statehouse seats, a proposed state constitutional amendment, and various local races.
The South Carolina Daily Gazette offers a voter guide covering many of these races, along with answers to common voter inquiries.
Currently, there are over 3.4 million registered voters in South Carolina. After the state Democratic Party successfully sued for an extension of the registration deadline post-Helene’s devastation, residents had until Oct. 14 to register. During this 10-day period, 26,290 individuals registered, and 11,486 updated their voter registration, as reported by John Michael Catalano, spokesperson for the state election agency.
To find early voting locations in your county, visit the state Election Commission website and select your county.