Mission Statement
The mission of the State Election Commission (SEC) is to ensure every eligible citizen has the opportunity to register to vote and participate in fair and impartial elections with the assurance that every vote will count.
Commission Members
Hon. Dennis W. Shedd, Chairman
JoAnne Day
Clifford J. Edler
Linda McCall
Scott Moseley
Five members, at least one of whom shall be a member of the majority political party and at least one member of whom shall be a member of the largest minority political party represented in the General Assembly, are appointed by the Governor for four year terms. The SEC holds monthly meetings which the public are invited to attend.
The SEC shall appoint an executive director, upon the advice and consent of the Senate, who shall be directly responsible to the commission and who shall serve at the pleasure of the commission. The executive director shall be the chief administrative officer for the SEC. The executive director serves as the chief election official for the State of South Carolina.
Staff
| Executive Director | Howard M. Knapp |
| Director of Audit | Courtney Phillips |
| Director of Finance and Administration | LaToria Williams |
| Director of Government Affairs and Policy | Jenny Wooten McGill |
| Director of Public Information and Outreach | TJ Lundeen |
| Director of Training and County Support Services | Paige Salonich |
| Director of Voter Services | Wanda Hemphill |
| General Counsel | Thomas W. Nicholson |
Quick Facts
- Each year South Carolina holds approximately 300 elections.
- South Carolina was the first state to have a statewide voter registration system.
- South Carolina was the first state to have its voter registration application on the Internet.
- South Carolina was the second state to provide online access to its voter registration database to all county boards of voter registration.
- Early voting was established in South Carolina in May of 2022.
- If you are a registered voter and you cannot go to the polls to vote on election day, you may be eligible to vote using an absentee ballot.
- Nearly 18,000 poll managers serve throughout South Carolina in a statewide General Election.
- Husbands and wives cannot vote together in the same voting booth.
- Party primary elections, conducted by the county election boards, are held to determine who will be that party's nominee.
- Polls on election day open at 7:00 am and remain open until 7:00 pm.
- You may obtain the names of your elected officials and polling place by contacting your county voter registration office.
- A person who does not live within the municipality, but who owns property within the municipality, would not be considered a resident for the purpose of voting in a municipal election.
- A person who was not qualified to vote in the first election for failure to register 30 days prior to an election is not qualified to vote in that election's subsequent run-off.